By: Emily Ao

As many know, most of the ocean remains a mystery to us. With depths that reach 2.3 miles, the ocean floor remains unexplored by humans.

To get around this, scientists and marine researchers have relied on robots to capture live footage in areas we are unable to reach. However, despite their abilities, the cost of maintenance for said equipment isn’t convenient, so what happens when researchers use sea lions instead?

According to the New York Times, Nathan Angelakis, a Ph.D. student at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences) and the University of Adelaide, and colleagues performed a study where they used sea lions to help them capture new footage of the ocean floor. With permission from marine conservation authorities, Angelakis and his team approached resting Australian sea lions on shore, gave them mild sedatives, and attached cameras onto their backs.

The sea lions collected amazing footage of the deep waters off Australia’s southern coast. They even captured exciting clips of a sea lion mother teaching her pup how to hunt, which had never been recorded on camera before. Some additional clips, where the creatures were caught strangling small octopi and miniature sharks, were also exciting.

“The more we learn about them, the better chance we’ll have to manage them and protect them,” Dr. Costa, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, says. With the footage, researchers are looking forward to more exciting ways to learn more about the ocean and the mysteries it holds.