MONTEREY, California -- The likely deaths of two mother sea otters from shark bites, and the rescue of their orphaned pups in recent days is a reminder of what researchers have learned from a decade studying adult great white shark behavior:

These top ocean predators return to California's coastal waters each year at this time.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation program (SORAC; http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/sorac.aspx) recently took in two sea otter pups, one from Cayucos (San Luis Obispo County) on August 12 and a second from Santa Cruz on August 17. In both cases, the mothers had suffered shark trauma – likely from great white sharks, according to biologists.

"The number of shark-bitten sea otter carcasses recovered by our California Sea Otter Stranding Network has increased in recent years – especially in the southern portion of the range," said Brian Hatfield of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). "This mortality is likely having a significant impact on the population."

In fact, the most recent sea otter census released by USGS earlier this month showed a continued downward trend in the number of both adults and pups in California.

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