From Science Magazine.

Northern elephant seals are invaluable partners in oceanographic research. By mounting sophisticated sensors on these large, round marine mammals, scientists gather crucial data on hard-to-access marine ecosystems.

00:00 Intro to UC Santa Cruz northern elephant seal research program
01:21 Monitoring seal health and foraging
02:03 Seals as smart sensors
03:14 Instruments to observe seal habitat
05:06 Studying foraging behavior
06:04 Sonar tags to detect prey
06:54 Whisker analysis
07:59 New technologies and re-analyzing old data

Additional footage credit: The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

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