Sea otters are known for using tools, but not all of them do. A new study finds those that use tools have better survival odds in a world where their traditional food sources are changing.

Sea otters are on the edge of extinction. There are currently around 3,000 of them living off the coast of California's Monterey Bay, according to Brett Long, with the Aquarium of the Pacific in ...

Don’t let their cute appearance fool you - sea otters are skilled and relentless hunters, especially when it comes to octopus ...

SHUMAKER: Sea otters are one of the foundational examples of tool use in nonhumans, so super important and incredibly well documented, even since the 1960s. GREENFIELDBOYCE: Decades have been spent ...

But they use tools more than males, so they're able to gain access to these novel sources of food items. GREENFIELDBOYCE: What's more, using tools to open prey protected otters' teeth.

Sea otters are large marine mammals that spend their days foraging in kelp forests. They dive to the bottom to grab tasty morsels, plus sometimes rocks that they plan to use as tools.