There’s a notable difference between sea otters and river otters, and it’s not just about size (sea otters are bigger).

It’s the river rascals that are the ones that, in general, have a nasty habitat of nesting under someone’s house. And, it’s the sea otter that will be in the spotlight in the next episode of the Friday Harbor Whale Museum’s Summer Lecture Series, featuring a presentation entitled, “Everything you ever wanted to know about Sea Otters but were afraid to ask,” by the Seattle Aquarium’s Shawn Larson.

Ask Larson about that nesting thing; we’re pretty sure we got that one right.

As part of the presentation, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Whale Museum, Monday, Aug. 11, Larson, the aquarium’s longtime curator of conservation research, 20 years, to be precise, will give a general introduction about sea otters and share the story on efforts to protect them, and then follow up with a more in-depth discussion about Washington state’s sea otters and her conservation work with the animals in both the wild and at the aquarium.

Larson, who earned a doctorate at the University of Washington’s school of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, also conducts conservation research on rockfish, Hawaiian fish, the Giant Pacific Octopus and sixgill sharks.

In her free time, Larson reportedly enjoys sharing her small farm in Hansville, Wash., in Kitsap County, with nine chicken, two horses, two cats, two kids, one dog and one husband. As with all presentations in Whale Museum summer series, Larson’s lecture is open to the public, and free.

For more info, contact the Whale Museum, 62 N. First Street, www.whalemuseum.org, or, 360-378-4710.