Sure, sea otters learning to slam dunk is an impressive sight, but sometimes there’s nothing cuter than animals doing what they do best. In this case, smashing open some clams as a midday treat.

Just by eating sea urchins and destructive shellfish, sea otters are keeping kelp forests healthy and coastal erosion at bay.

The NBA Finals aren’t the only must-see basketball this season. Juno, a rescued sea otter at the Oregon Zoo, is swimming straight to the hoop — and she can dunk with the best of them.

They practiced staying buoyant on the surface together, opening clams while floating on the waves, and modeled how to pound shells against rocks to crack them open (otters like to use tools).

Oregon Zoo sea otter scores 'clam dunks' with basketball to stay fit. by KATU Staff. Fri, June 9th 2023 at 11:41 AM. Updated Mon, June 12th 2023 at 3:34 AM. Juno dunking on 'em - via the Oregon Zoo.

Wild sea otters now share that inlet with surrogate-raised sea otters and their descendants, all of which seem to have figured out how to yank crabs and clams from the mucky bottom.

Meanwhile, sea otters may snack on crabs, snails, urchins, clams, mussels and abalone, ... On the other hand, the maximum estimated lifespan of a sea otter in the wild is 23 years, ...

Sea otters that specialize in eating snails have teeth that look different compared to otters that specialize in eating clams. These sea otter skulls are among the specimens held at the Burke ...

West Coast sea otters are turning to tool use to exploit richer prey and get a leg up on the competition, a new study has found. In Monterey Bay, an incredible rebound in sea otter populations has ...

California wildlife officials are hoping to apprehend a 5-year-old sea otter, who has a knack for riding the waves after committing longboard larceny. By Annie Roth Annie Roth lives in Santa Cruz ...