Researchers Strapped a Go-Pro to a Sea Turtle, and Here’s What They Got

The World Wildlife Foundation invites you to see the Great Barrier Reef from a sea turtle’s perspective in a new video released by the conservation group’s Australian branch.

The video comes from a research project that’s examining the effects of climate change and pollution on local turtle communities, as Mary Bowerman explains for USA Today. Strapping a Go-Pro camera to a sea turtle, a team of Australian researchers hopes to learn about turtle behavior after they’re released into the wild. They’re using cameras and other methods to monitor turtles on the reef.

The footage last about three minutes, until the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) shakes off the camera and leaves it in a cloud a bubbles to be rescued by a research diver.

New conservation project reveals amazing turtle's eye-view of the Great Barrier Reef

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On a more serious note, WWF Also hopes to raise awareness about the threats faced by sea turtles and the 6,000 species that make their home on the reef. “WWF produced this amazing video to remind us all that the Great Barrier Reef is amazing, but also perishable,” writes Carl Engleking for Discover.

Helen Thompson | | READ MORE

Helen Thompson writes about science and culture for Smithsonian. She's previously written for NPR, National Geographic News, Nature and others.