Sea Otter Decline

195 Words1 Pages
The lecturer and the reading passage offer two theories to explain why the sea otter population is in rapid decline. The two theories are predation theory and pollution theory.
The professor argues predation is the more likely cause than pollution because of the absence of dead sea otters washing up on shores. However, the reading passage attributes the decline of the sea otters population based on evidence of increased ocean contaminates leading to greater vulnerability to infections.
Also, the lecturer argues that orcas are likely factors in the population decline of the sea otters because of the scarcity of their usual prepay. This left them with no other option but to hunt smaller mammals for food. The reading passage refutes this theory