Sea otters stay warm thanks to leaky mitochondria in their muscles
The smallest mammal in the ocean doesn’t rely on blubber or a large body to keep toasty
![two sea otters in water](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/070721_JC_otter-muscles_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
A new study shows how the high metabolism of adult and baby sea otters begins at the cellular level.
Randall Davis (Image obtained under USFWS Marine Mammal Permit No. MA-043219 to R. Davis)