The Quiz: Why did otters go nearly extinct in the 20th century?
A Fur trade
B Habitat loss
C Oil spills
Sea otters’ luxuriant fur keeps them alive, but also once nearly doomed them. Their fur was so sought-after that trappers hunted them to near extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries. By the early 20th century, only a few thousand otters remained, down from a population as large as 300,000. Their numbers have rebounded significantly because they are now protected by law, but they are still considered endangered.
The correct answer to this quiz is Fur trade.