Went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw the sea otters. Learned an interesting fact: Cat poop kills sea otters! If your cat feces enters the sewer system, there is a bacteria called Toxoplasmosis in the poop which then gets flushed out to sea and is absorbed by sea urchins, crabs, oysters, mussels, etc., which the sea otter then eats. This kills sea otters once they are infected. Humans can also get infected by shoveling the tasty slimy critters down your throat without cooking them first...but I'll risk it to eat these tasty invertebrates! BTW...that's why pregnant women can't eat raw seafood or sushi. "a Toxoplasma infection of an unborn child may cause birth defects, blindness and brain damage."
By the way, another interesting fact is that the entire coast of California used to run rampant with the cuddly creatures, but they were hunted by fur traders to near extinction in the earlier part of the 19th century. They are now an endangered species and number close to 3000! They are currently confined to the central California coast; whereas they used to live along the entire California and Baja California coastline. So where are all the sea otter coats now?
Find Out How to Save the California Sea Otter
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