Californian sea otters and archaeology

This September 2018 says about itself:

Cute Sea Otter Behaviour Decoded

From holding paws to rubbing their faces, sea otters are otter-ly adorable. But why do they do it? Discover the science behind the cute.

From the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany:

Sea otters’ tool use leaves behind distinctive archaeological evidence

Researchers used an interdisciplinary approach combining ecology and archaeological methods to study sea otters’ past behavior

March 14, 2019

An international team of researchers has analyzed the use by sea otters of large, shoreline rocks as “anvils” to break open shells, as well as the resulting shell middens. The researchers used ecological and archaeological approaches to identify patterns that are characteristic of sea otter use of such locations. By looking at evidence of past anvil stone use, scientists could better understand sea otter habitat use.

Sea otters are an especially captivating marine mammal…