My First Discoveries · Drawing 30 of 40
Who Eats What?
The Living World
Sea otters eat sea urchins among other foods. When fewer urchins graze, kelp forests can grow more readily.
Did you know?
Kelp is a large alga, not an underwater tree.
Look together
What might changing urchin numbers affect?
An idea to try
Draw three boxes: kelp, urchin, otter. Link who eats what.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
This lesson shows a chain of relationships: otters, urchins and kelp. Otters eat other prey too, and several factors influence kelp forests. “Can” avoids turning this relationship into a guaranteed result everywhere.
Look together: What might changing urchin numbers affect? Draw three boxes: kelp, urchin, otter. Link who eats what.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Illustrations simplify shapes and sizes. Models and enlargements help observation; choose your own colours.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada: Who Eats What?Explain the otter–urchin–kelp relationship as a simple food-web example.
Source review: 2026-10-03. Illustrations are simplified for colouring.
