By: Megan Wei

Marine biologists have long been stuck with a big problem: how to explore the depths of the ocean. On Aug 7, 2024, Nathan Angelakis, who’s a Ph.D. student studying Aquatic Sciences at the South Australian Research and Development Institute collected some volunteers and put them to work. Daphne, Phoebe, Iris, Pasithea, and four more sea lions routinely dive 300 feet beneath the surface daily so were excepted perfect for this job. With cameras and trackers hitched on the sea lions’ backs, they dove into the mysterious deep sea that was also where they thrive.

The ocean may be something humans never master. There are parts of the ocean that we still can’t get to yet, because the pressure at the bottom of the ocean isn’t fit for humans. Bizarre marine creatures that we keep discovering and investigating, always keeping scientists busy and at work. According to The New York Times, Nathan Angelakis said, “For most of the ocean, we don’t know what the bottom looks like.” The main problem scientists are facing is that they haven’t even explored the whole map of the ocean.

With Daphne, Phoebe, Iris, and Pasithea at work, scientists were able to track scenes and monitor their activities in the water. “You get those moments which are really exciting,” Mr. Angelakis points out according to The New York Times, “when the sea lion captures a really big fish or a small shark or it’s wrangling an octopus.” Excited to finally be able to uncover more, Nathan Angelakis and other scientists are bursting to make new important discoveries. These studies can help scientists understand sea lions more and prevent animal habitats like coral reefs from becoming destroyed.

Places with animal habitats are important to us too because there’s a big chain connecting humans to all species. If we preserve their environment, our ecosystem will stay balanced. Mr. Angelakis hopes to be able to maintain all species in the ocean. “The more we learn about them, the better chance we’ll have to manage them and protect them,” he said. People should make sure to always be aware of other species living around us and supporting us up too.