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# What lives in a kelp forest

## Kelp forests provide habitat for a variety of invertebrates, fish, marine mammals, and birds

Many species of fish and marine mammals inhabit kelp forests for protection and food.

In kelp forests, the most commonly found invertebrates are  bristle worms, scud, prawn, snails, and brittle stars. These animals feed on  the holdfasts that keep kelp anchored to the bottom of the ocean and algae that  are abundant in kelp forests. Sea urchins will often completely remove kelp  plants by eating through their holdfasts. Other invertebrates found in kelp  forests are sea stars, anemones, crabs, and jellyfish.

A wide range of fish can be found in kelp forests, many of  which are important to commercial fishermen. For example, many types of  rockfish such as black rockfish, blue rockfish, olive rockfish, and kelp rockfish  are found in kelp forests and are important to fishermen.

A wide range of marine mammals inhabit kelp forests for  protection and food. Sea lions and seals feed on the fish that live in kelp  forests. Grey whales have also been observed in kelp forests, most likely using  the forest as a safe haven from the predatory killer whale. The grey whale will  eat the abundant invertebrates and crustaceans in kelp forests. One of the most  important mammals in a kelp forest is the sea otter, who takes refuge from  sharks and storms in these forests. The sea otter eats the red sea urchin that  can destroy a kelp forest if left to multiply freely.

Kelp forests are a natural buffet for birds such as crows,  warblers, starlings, and black phoebes which feed on flies, maggots, and small  crustaceans that are abundant in kelp forests. Gulls, terns, egrets, great blue  herons, and cormorants dine on the many fish and invertebrates living in the  kelp. Kelp forests also provide birds with a refuge from storms.

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###### More **Information**

          - Ecosystems:  Kelp Forests
          - Invertebrate  and Vertebrate Assemblages Associated with Kelp Forests
          - Sea Otters and Kelp (Ocean Today video)

Did you know?

The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in California is home to a population of more than 100 sea otters.  See for yourself! Visit Elkhorn Slough's real-time  Otter Cam. 

**Last updated:**   01/18/24**Author:** NOAAHow to cite this article

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