Date: February 21, 2017
Source: University of Sydney
A world-first study testing new
underwater cameras on wild dolphins has given researchers the best view yet
into their hidden marine world.
A research team including experts
from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre and the University of
Alaska Southeast trialled the custom-made non-invasive cameras to capture and
analyse more than 535 minutes of such rarely-seen activities as mother-calf
interaction, playing with kelp, and intimate social behaviours like
flipper-rubbing. The results are published in the latest Marine Biology.
"For the first time, these
cameras have given us the opportunity to see what dolphins do on their own
terms," said Dr Gabriel Machovsky-Capuska from the University of Sydney's
School of Veterinary Science and Charles Perkins Centre.
"There were no wildlife
crews, no invasive underwater housings -- and the dolphins remained largely
unaffected by our cameras. This research opens up a whole new approach for
capturing wild animal behaviour, which will ultimately help us to not only
advance conservation efforts but also come closer to understanding wild
predators' and human nutrition too."
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