Sea otter

Tiny bits of broken-down plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of riceare turning up everywhere in oceans, from the water tothe guts of fish and the poop of sea otters and giant killer whales.

Yet little is known about the effects of these "microplastics" — onsea creatures or humans.

A sea otter, classified as "near-threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has been spotted in the southeastern province of Şırnak near the İkizce Creek at the foot of Mount Judi.

Wildlife in the Küre Mountains National Park, located between the eastern Black Sea province of Bartın and Kastamonu, is being observed with 50 motion-triggered cameras located across the 37,000-square meter park. 

The fossil of a sea otter has been found in the Central Anatolian province of Çankırı, revealing 8 million years of animal life in the area.

The excavations, headed by Professor Ayla Sevim Erol of the Anthropology Department at Ankara University, have been ongoing in the area for the last 17 years.

Sea otters living on the Bolaman River near Fatsa off the Black Sea coast will be heaving a sigh of relief, as the construction of a hydroelectric power plant (HES) on the Şahsen River was halted on Aug. 19 with a decision by the district prefecture following locals's protests.