Thread by @ZoologiMY

Do you know that Sea Otters have little pouch that they use to store their favourite rock,among other things?

Yes. U read it right. Sea Otter have form an attachment to one rock that they always use and they are fond of it.

Our very own hairy nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana). This is the rarest and least known species of otters and it can only be found in SEA.

They are an endangered species. Suprisingly,most of their predators are gone or reduced in number and yet,their number are not recovering in positive manners. why?

Because HUMANS are their biggest threat. Entangled in fishing net. Killed because they eat the fishes they caught. Habitat loss.

According to a recent report on Illegal Otter Trade published in July 2016 by TRAFFIC and IUCN Otter Specialist Group, in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, otters are hunted to supply a growing pet trade that appears to be mostly domestic.....

It’s ILLEGAL to own otters as pets. Otters that are kept as pets cannot be reintroduced into the wild as they won’t be able to survive.

Why? Because otters are chatty and highly social. If once they keep in captivity and had form bonds with the rest of the rafts, introducing them into the wild again would make them confuse in so many ways.

If you have interests in keeping them as a pet, please dont do that. They maybe cute but they dont do well as pets.

Have you ever wondered why otters are important to humans ?

and obviously...our ecosystem too.

Tonight,we'll talk about why otters are important to us and our ecosystem and also...how cats can affect them!

When humans dump nutrients into the oceans, whether it’s fertilisers running off from farms or sewage pouring in from cities, the results are usually predictable.

The high conc of Nitrogen and Phosphorus is not a good thing as it will lead to Eutrophication. It fuels the growth of algae that stop sunlight from reaching underwater plants, introduce toxic substances into the food chain, and deplete the oxygen in the water.

This would prevent the thriving of kelp forest and sea grass population in which it helps to nourish the niche area of the marine ecosystem.

A 50 years study of comparison between area with otter and without otter,proved that the presence of otter helps to clear the algae or maintain its number at a minimum amount.

These cute creatures help to keep the algae at bay and flourish the area with seagrass and kelp forest.

This...brings us to the Trophic Cascade.

Trophic cascade is a series of powerful interaction in which it is triggered by the presence or absence of one key species.

In this case...the otter itself is the key species. Can you guess why?

...and also, do u know this organism and why it has a huge impact on otter's population?

All will be revealed later tonight!

It's about time...This is an example of how important sea otters are to our ecosystem. Places that are overrun with urchins are known as “urchin barrens”. Sea urchins are herbivores and feed on seaweeds like kelp.

When urchins are uncontrolled by predators they become larger and more abundant, feeding on kelp until little remains.

Now...Kelp is important as it provides a healthy ground for juvenile fishes,mussels,and other small marine life.

It so happened that the Sea Urchin is an Otter's all-time favourite meal !

By controlling the size and number of sea urchins, sea otters created the opportunity for kelp to grow and flourish, which in turn created habitat for numerous other kelp forest dwellers.

This type of relationship between a sea otter, urchin, and kelp is known as a trophic cascade. The complexity of trophic cascades can vary extensively from place to place, but this basic pattern is the foundation for understanding how sea otters fit into a healthy coastal env.

Now...what about this microorganism?

This is an image of Toxoplasma gondii.

How is it that a parasite transmitted by cats on land can contribute to the death of sea otters in the ocean?

This is extremely important, because humans play an active role in the process, and have the potential to fall ill to the same parasite.

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite that can infect virtually all warm-blooded animals, but the only known definitive hosts are cats – domesticated and feral house cats included.

Cats were infected with the parasite through hunting rodents and birds and they offload it into the environment through their feces.

How this parasite can get to you and other living things.

Oocysts are egg-like structures that are released by cats in their feces – formed from the sexual multiplication of the parasite, which only occurs in the gut of the definitive host.

Once infected, cats can release hundreds of millions of Toxoplasma oocysts in their feces, for up to two weeks.

Like in sea otters, T. gondii causes inflammation in the brain of river otters but just how many river otters are dying from this disease is still unknown.

Oocysts are robustly resistant to environmental insults, which renders Toxoplasma stable in cold water for years.

When the oocysts reach the ocean, they attach to kelp and marine snow in the seawater, at which point they can incorporate into the marine food web.

Sticky substances excreted by seaweed allow the oocysts to directly adhere to kelp, the preferred food of turban snails. Oocysts are then accidentally ingested by snails, which are subsequently preyed upon by the sea otters. The journey from cat to sea otter is complete.

So..how can us,human prevent this from happening?

1. Neuter or spay your cat. This would mean less cats roaming around and getting infected.

2. Keep your cats as indoors as possible. This would minimize the time of contact it had with the environment,especially soil.

3. Be a responsible owner. Prepare and clean their litterbox. Dont throw their poops into any water bodies because that would transfer the microbe to the environment.

That is the end of the thread. We hope you enjoy reading our thread.

:)