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Crocodiles in danger to provide video data
Source: Agencies |
November 10, 2009, Tuesday
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CALL it video blogging for reptiles: conservationists are attaching cameras to the critically endangered Indian gharial, a crocodile-like creature, to understand more about its life in a bid to save it.
Only about 1,000 gharials, which have a narrow snout, are believed to live in the wild in India's Chambal and Yamuna rivers.
The species is almost extinct in some neighboring nations, including Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Scientists at the Gharial Conservation Park in Lucknow are using small video cameras for "bio-logging."
The lightweight cameras are attached to gharials that are released into the wild, where they record pictures every four seconds and monitor movement and behavior.
"It can record diving depths, swimming speed and also the frequency of movement," said Katyufoomi Sato, associate professor at Tokyo University whose team developed the camera.
"Once we release the gharials into the wild, they go into the water so after that we cannot observe their behavior.
"But if we deploy this instrument, we can understand their underwater behavior."
The camera remains attached to the gharial's head for four hours before automatically detaching itself.
Only about 1,000 gharials, which have a narrow snout, are believed to live in the wild in India's Chambal and Yamuna rivers.
The species is almost extinct in some neighboring nations, including Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Scientists at the Gharial Conservation Park in Lucknow are using small video cameras for "bio-logging."
The lightweight cameras are attached to gharials that are released into the wild, where they record pictures every four seconds and monitor movement and behavior.
"It can record diving depths, swimming speed and also the frequency of movement," said Katyufoomi Sato, associate professor at Tokyo University whose team developed the camera.
"Once we release the gharials into the wild, they go into the water so after that we cannot observe their behavior.
"But if we deploy this instrument, we can understand their underwater behavior."
The camera remains attached to the gharial's head for four hours before automatically detaching itself.
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