Not So Cuddly Otters

Sea otters, not to be confused with otters, were an important part of the early trading history history of the Pacific Northwest with first English traders and later, American and Spanish traders. The sea otter brought profound change to the Pacific Northwest.

I have seen river otters on numerous occasions while doing field work. It is tempting to assign anthropological values to them (river-otters-and-seal). But Dylan Mathews at Vox provides The Case Against Otters.