Sea otters use tools to access tougher prey when preferred food is scarce, as shown by a Monterey Bay study published in Science.

A new study in Monterey Bay, California, found that when sea otters lose their preferred food, they use tools to access tougher prey. The research, published in Science, reveals that this ability may increase their chances of survival in uncertain environments. Sea otters, which forage in kelp forests, sometimes collect rocks to use as tools to open and eat their food on their bellies.