Especially vulnerable are slow moving shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels. These creatures can't escape from an oil slick. Marine mammals and birds which have been in direct contact with oil slicks often ingest a great deal ofoil while attempting to clean themselves. Carnivorous animals and birds which end up eating the carcasses of other oiled creatures also end up ingesting potentially toxic amounts of oil. The famous 'Exxon Valdez' oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound resulted in the deaths of 15,000 otters, predominantly as a result of ingesting oil.
Oil also eliminates the ability of a bird's feathers to keep it warm.
Similarly, mammals in cold waters can also die of hypothermia as their fur loses its insulating ability once it has been covered in oil. Once an oil spill has occurred there are several methods by which the damage caused can be limited and the oil cleaned up. The four most common methods include containment and recovery, dispersal, bio-remediation and burning. Containment and recovery is usually the first measure used to attempt to clean up after an oil spill. Long, floating plastic or rubber barriers called booms are placed around the floating oil slick.