These days we are hearing a lot about the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Of course oil spills take us back to the horrific memory of what happened with the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. The primary victims of that spill were the little sea otters. The plight of sea otters inspired me to produce my newest painting in my Endangered Species collection, “Sea Otters Sing Many Songs.” They will be available in note cards and prints in the coming days, so keep an eye out for them.

You can generally find Sea Otters foraging in the morning and napping in the afternoon before resuming their daily chores. They are busy little animals that are, for the most part, peaceful. Their contributions to the health of coastal ecosystems is significant despite their tiny frames giving them the distinction of being labled a keystone species. Though there is a rebound boost in the population of the smallest marine mammals, these little furry guys are still listed as endangered. The most significant threat to sea otters according to Wikipedia has been oil spills. Fur trade and other hunting-related activities have also threatened this very cute but important animal.