Takepart: Sea otters arent just unbearably cute; theyre also emerging as key players in keeping the oceans healthy in a warming world, according to new scientific research. Think of sea otters as the park rangers of coastal kelp forests. The floating thickets of treelike seaweed provide habitat for a plethora of marine life, including seals, sea lions, whales, gulls, terns, and snowy egrets. Like terrestrial forests, kelp forests absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released...