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Marine mammals

The mammals are the kelp forest’s ambassadors to everyone who never gets wet: sea otters wrapping themselves in kelp at the surface, harbour seals hauling out at forest edges, sea lions hunting along the canopy line, and porpoises threading the surf zone. One of them — the sea otter — is the single most consequential predator in the entire ecosystem, the keystone whose appetite decides whether urchins or kelp rule the reef.