SharkCam: As close as you'll ever get to man-eating sharks

Scientists invented the SharkCam, a radio-controlled submarine (underwater drone), to get close to and study man-eating Great White Sharks.

REMUS SharkCam: The hunter and the hunted from Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst. on Vimeo.

ANIMALS

SharkCam: As close as you'll ever get to man-eating sharks

The great white shark suddenly jumps into the video frame and bites the camera.

Great white sharks fiercely attacking their prey was captured on the so-called SharkCam off of Guadalupe Island, Baja California, Mexico by scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

The SharkCam is actually an unmanned radio-controlled submarine with several cameras pointing in different directions.

The cameras gave scientists a close-up panoramic view of sharks in the wild, in their natural habitat.

The actual shark footage begins about one minute into the video with the SharkCam following the shark from behind with the shark tail visible and moving back and forth.

But the hunter soon became the hunted.

At first, the shark swims around the camera and appears to be checking it out. 

Suddenly, the shark jumps up from below the camera and bites the SharkCam and holds it in its teeth.

After unsuccessfully trying to wedge his teeth into the SharkCam, the shark swims away.

Next the shark is swimming at high speed directly at the camera and suddenly rams the SharkCam with his nose bouncing off in the process.

And the sound of the shark trying to bite the camera is heard while the camera captures the shark's body moving back and forth as the shark exerts itself.

Some sharks also displayed signs of territorial behaviour towards the SharkCam.

As the shark makes threatening motions and even hits the SharkCam to drive away the SharkCam.

In what are most likely predatory attacks, sharks take advantage of the clear water to lurk in the darkness below the vehicle, then swim up suddenly and bite the SharkCam on the tail or middle part. This is the same way sharks hunt seals in the area. (at 3:10 in the video)

The Sharkcam is specially equipped to locate, track, and film up-close a tagged marine animal, such as a great white shark. The underwater vehicle is programmed to home in on a signal from a radio beacon attached to the shark at depths up to 100 meters.

There are also plans to use the system to follow other large marine animals such as sea turtles. Visual and numerical data from the vehicle allow scientists to study the behavior of marine animals in the wild interacting with their natural habitat.

http://www.whoi.edu/main/remus-sharkcam

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/425314/sharkcam-as-close-as-you-ll-ever-get-to-man-eating-sharks