Photograph by Greg Marshall
Photograph by Greg Marshall
About 20 years ago, a young biologist and filmmaker saw something while snorkeling along the coral reefs of Belize that fired his imagination. A small suckerfish had attached itself to a shark and was “riding” along with it. Imagining the unique perspective the remora must have when hitchhiking with its host, Greg Marshall conceived the idea of attaching a small video camera to marine life, in effect allowing the animals to film their own behavior. This “A-ha” moment led to the development of Crittercam, an invention that has revolutionized marine biology, while producing breathtaking glimpses into the animal world.
Since then, Marshall and his team have refined the device, making it smaller, lighter, and more powerful, while expanding its use to more than 30 marine species, including great white sharks, sperm whales, emperor penguins (technology was featured in March of the Penguins), seals, and sea turtles.
Presentation Topics
Innovation Sparks Success
Marshall got the idea for Crittercam while swimming behind a shark, noticing the tiny remora hitchhiking along. He figured if he could design a camera small and light enough to be barely perceptible to the animal, he could shift the point of view from researcher to subject, taking us light years ahead in our capacity to understand animal behavior. Since 1986, Crittercam has been successfully used on countless marine species and recently made the leap to land animals.
Crittercam: A Wild Point of View
Peek inside the Remote Imaging Lab and the resulting award-winning films at National Geographic to see how Marshall and his team of fellow scientists use innovation, creativity, engineering, and wild and woolly expeditions as they lead the field of animal-borne imaging.
Learn More About Greg:
Listen to Radio Interview With Greg Marshall
Boyd Matson Interviews Greg for NG Weekend Radio Show
Now Open in Boston! Experience the world from an animal’s point of view with Crittercam.
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