Nature and animal photographer Pat Toth-Smith first noticed the playful sea otters of Elkhorn Slough about 20 years ago. Sea otters soon became the focus of many of her photographic trips and she has been observing, photographing, and learning about them ever since. The August featured exhibit of her work at the Artists’ Co-op of Mendocino gives us a sneak peek at images which will illustrate her new book “Sea Otters Among Us.” She is very adept at capturing the expressions of animals and her goal is to choose images that allow us to connect with and appreciate the wildlife around us.

The Pacific sea otters were hunted almost to extinction as they were valued for the thick fur that allows these mammals to spend their lives in the sea. They love to dive down and collect urchins, clams, mussels, and crabs for their dinner. Floating on their backs, they will take a rock to crack open the shells of their catch. There have been efforts to repopulate sea otters along the Oregon and California coasts. Sea otters would help in our local ecosystem by keeping down the urchin populations that endanger the kelp forests of our coast, but currently our local otter populations are the river cousins of the sea otter. The Co-op has extended hours on August 14th, Second Saturday. Visit the Artists’ Co-op August 4th  to September 7 to view “Pacific Coast Sea Otters.”

The gallery is open daily from 11 to 4. Phone: (707) 937-2217 Location: Kasten X Albion Streets in Mendocino.

Gallery online at: www.artcoopmendocino.com

Artist online at: tothsmithphotography.com