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Tool-using sea otters not genetically tied
Otter
Sea otters often use tools like rocks or other hard objects to crack into their meals.

Study find sea otters may have been using tools for thousand of years

A study by US researchers has revealed that tool use by sea otters is universal and has little to do with family connections.

Previous research found that a group of tool-using dolphins in the Indio-Pacific shared a common genetic lineage.

But a new paper, published in Biology Letters, suggests that tool-using sea otters are not necessarily related.

“Sea otters and bottlenose dolphins both use tools and they are ecologically similar, so we thought they might have a similar genetic pattern,” said Katherine Ralls, lead author of the paper and scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation and Research centre, Virginia.

“Surprisingly, what we discovered is that sea otters that most frequently use tools are no more related to each other than to the population as a whole.”

Although not all individuals in a population use tools, sea otters often use tools like rocks or other hard objects to crack into their meals.

In the study, scientists observed individual otters using tools for at least 40 per cent of captured prey. They also analysed the genetic information collected from individual sea otters on the coast of California between 2000 and 2014.

“DNA analysis is critical to understanding our natural world and our world’s natural history, in this case helping us to get a better grasp on the little-known world of tool use in marine animals,” said co-author Nancy Rotzel McInerney.

According to the study’s authors, the difference between sea otters and dolphins might be how long the species has used tools.

It is thought that dolphins began utilising rocks, snails and crabs some 200 years ago. But researchers believe sea otters may have started using tools many thousands, or even millions, of years ago.

The team now aims to confirm how long they have been using tools by examining fossil sea otters for physical indicators of tool use.

Image (C) Jessica Fujii/Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.