Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) found that cameras are another object sharks don't mind eating.
A video made by the research team shows great white sharks looking at, bullying, and attacking a Discovery-sponsored underwater vehicle called REMUS-100, according to Discovery News. The system is designed to let biologists get a closer look at sharks living in the wild.
The video was shot near Guadalupe Island on the West Coast of Mexico - one of two spots where the WHOI studies the animal, the other being off the coast of Cape Cod.
The SharkCam comes in the form of a robot shaped like a torpedo, and features a wide range of technology, which includes a navigation system, GPS, acoustic sensors, Wi-Fi, temperature probes and six GoPro video cameras, Design & Trend reported. The cameras are positioned on the robot to provide a 360-degree view of the shark's habitat.
REMUS was pre-programmed by the research team to pinpoint signals that are released by transponders that were previously attached to a shark. The robot is capable of identifying these beacons as deep as 300 feet.
The robot was deployed by the team last year near Guadalupe Island to find sharks and capture footage of them doing different things in their environment, Discovery News reported. The SharkCam gets attacked by some sharks due to the animal being very territorial, while others act more predacious. Instead of bumping into the camera or charging it, these sharks hide below the robot, swim up quickly and bite it - a technique used by the animal for hunting seals.
REMUS managed to survive dozens of missions captured in the video, as well as in the hull of the robot, where the sharks left behind teeth marks, Design & Trend reported. Those who watch the video can hear one of the researchers say "We lost our deposit," while pulling the robot to the surface.
The team is looking to continue research with REMUS, saying it has plans to use the camera to study sea turtles and other large marine animals.
