4
“
We are losing species and their habitats at an alarming
rate.
”
—US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Fish and Wildlife Service, “Strategic Habitat Conservation FAQs,” January 21, 2016.
A habitat is a place where animals, birds, fish, and plants live or
grow in a natural state. For wildlife, habitats are where they can
find enough food and water to survive, take refuge from preda-
tors and hostile conditions, and have ample space to raise their
young. These habitats are found all over the world, from prairies,
tropical rain forests, and mountain ranges to oceans, freshwater
lakes, wetlands, and rivers. One ocean habitat that scientists find
especially fascinating is at the National Marine Sanctuary in Mon-
terey Bay, California. A giant kelp forest located there is one of the
most diverse wildlife habitats in the world.
Kelp is a type of brown seaweed with long, tough stalks.
Following shorelines, mostly along the rocky Pacific coast, kelp
grows tall and thick, forming massive underwater forests. The
kelp forest at Monterey Bay is populated by hundreds of species
of marine wildlife, including jellyfish, sea stars, snails, crabs, and
sea urchins, as well as sea lions, seals, and sea otters. Of all the
marine creatures that live in the Monterey Bay kelp forest, the
sea otters do the most to keep the ecological system, or eco-
system, in balance. Sea otters live in kelp forests to take refuge
Saving Habitats to
Save Wildlife
INTRODUCTION
