Surveillance cameras can help us gain insight into world’s we could never imagine. With advanced technology, we can pre-program cameras to perform without human instruction. Take the REMUS SharkCam, which was built to follow and film tagged animals, in this case, great white sharks. A year after it was employed, the SharkCam produced interesting footage. In honor of #SharkWeek, we will discuss how this amazing camera works and the astonishing footage it captured over a year.
REMUS stands for Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS, and the SharkCam used in this experiment utilized six GoPro cameras. These six cameras were situated with one rear facing, one forward facing, one to the left, one to the right, one forward facing up and one forward facing down. An underwater LED allowed for enhanced recordings around the clock. The REMUS SharkCam was able to catch footage and survive numerous attacks.
The REMUS SharkCam documented the behavior of sharks in their natural element. Much like they attack seals, the sharks lurked low beneath the SharkCam before swimming up to bite the tail end or midsection. Apparently sharks are known to bite metal, and they have electrosensory organs (ampullae of Lorenzini) which help them hunt. It’s likely that the REMUS SharkCam was emitting strong signals which spurred the sharks to attack.
Aside from attacks, territorial behavior and prey and predator interaction was also recorded. With an up close look from the REMUS, we can gain a better understanding of sharks and other underwater animals and plants. With an improved perspective from misunderstood animals, we can hopefully devise ways to minimize attacks and increase safety for both humans and sharks.
For more information on shark week and the shark week TV schedule, visit the Discovery Channel. For security camera systems and services, visit us online at SecurityCamExpert.com or give us a call at 1-888-203-6294.