Sea lions carry cameras to help scientists map ocean floor for first time

Sea lions strapped with cameras have helped scientists map the ocean floor for the first time.

Australian researchers enlisted endangered sea lions to help identify their previously unmapped ocean habitats.

Eight adult female sea lions had small, lightweight cameras glued to their fur.

Using 89 hours of recordings taken by the sea lions, the researchers identified six seabed habitats covering 5,000 square km of seabed in southern Australia.

The incredible footage has been shared by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Author Nathan Angelaki said: “Using animal-borne video and movement data from a predator is a really effective way of mapping diverse habitats across large areas of the seabed.”