Elkhorn Slough OtterCam goes HD!
Elkhorn Slough‘s salt marshes are home to the largest concentration of endangered Southern sea otters in California, and the OtterCam in the slough has given us glimpses into their lives since 2012!
And now the OtterCam has gone HD. The high definition video streams will be featured as part of the PBS and BBC “Big Blue Live” television and online event, Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Anchored from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the three-day, live televised event will highlight the renowned marine life that converges off California’s Central Coast.
“The OtterCam has opened a unique window on the lives of sea otters. There are times we are seeing 25 or more otters in the protected channels of the slough’s marsh,” said Elkhorn Slough Foundation Executive Director Mark Silberstein. “This suggests there may be more otters residing in the slough than previously thought, and we’ve witnessed some unique behaviors.”
Of course, besides providing entertainment to the nature lovers among us, the OtterCam is also used for research. Researchers study otter behavior, such as foraging, grooming, and raising pups!
Stationed on the edge of the slough, the cameras look across pickleweed marsh and tidal channels of the slough. Female otters often frequent these channels, which appear to be used as a nursery. The OtterCam has provided video and still photographs documenting the growth of otter pups, interactions with harbor seals and other wildlife and the movement of otters throughout the slough.
Be sure to watch that PBS and BBC special, “Big Blue Live!”
-Bill at
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