Roll your mouse over the pictures to see how the aquatic life was affected by the spill
Oil spills such as the Exxon Valdez, result in the death of aquatic wildlife. The oil coats the animals bodies and smothers them. The oil is particulary dangerous to birds, because if the oil gets into the birds feathers, the birds can possibly die of hypothermia. Sea otters ability to stay warm depends on how clean their fur is. When they are coated in oil, this inhibits their ability to stay warm. Not only are organisms affected by oil coating their bodies, but also by the toxic chemicals contained in oil. The toxic chemicals can be ingested by the animals and the animals can become poisoned. The animals affected the most by oil spills like the Exxon Valdez are animals that are found on the sea surface or on the shore, such as birds and sea otters.