SWOT report Vol.IV : discovering the flatback Australia's own sea turtle

Abstract

One of the great difficulties in studying marine animals is that they spend most of their lives in places where humans can’t go. In 1986, biologist Greg Marshall had an idea, a new way to reveal this hidden world. This idea resulted in Crittercam—an animal-borne camera and data-logging device that records behavioral and ecological observations from the unique perspective of the creature wearing the device. Since their creation, Crittercams have been deployed more than 600 times on 50 species around the globe, providing National Geographic Remote Imaging (NGRI) researchers and their collaborators with unparalleled insights. Green, loggerhead, hawksbill, olive ridley, and leatherback sea turtles have been among the subjects of Crittercam studies that are helping to solve some long-standing mysteries of sea turtle biology. Crittercams have observed some never before- seen behaviors such as leatherback mating occurring just off the nesting beaches, adult greens frequently eating invertebrates in some foraging locations, and female hawksbills spending a lot of time “hiding” from amorous males.