Specialized cameras, growing ever smaller as the technology advances, allows people to see the world as animals do, swimming to unique underwater environments, flying over craggy mountains or traipsing across ice-covered landscapes.
Small unmanned vehicles make it easy go many places, but they cannot replicate the behaviors and activities of wild animals.
The first video on this page shows a turtle swimming through the Great Barrier Reef. The video, posted in June, supports a project monitoring pollution across the reef. World Wildlife Fund is working with several groups and individuals on the project.
Another amusing turtle video, titled simply TORTUCAM GOPRO HD HERO, shows a turtle walking across someone’s yard and jumping into a swimming pool. The turtle has her own pond with plants and other turtles, and the pool is chlorine free, advises the poster, Silvestre81Fly.
Far from the calm environment of the Great Barrier Reef or a family’s backyard is what we can see from a camera-equipped radio collar mounted on a polar bear in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea. Check out the second video on this page.
This research project took place in April of last year by researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey. The video uses technology developed by videographer Adam Ravetch with support from the World Wildlife Fund.
Said to be the first camera ever mounted on a free-ranging polar bear on Arctic sea ice, the video shows the female bear swimming, trying to eat a frozen seal carcass and interacting with a potential mate. The research could help scientists understand how polar bears respond to declining sea ice.
One can find many videos resulting from cameras mounted on birds. One of my favorites involves an eagle flying through the French Alps, shown in the third video player on this page. For more of this kind, including a record-breaking flight in Dubai, visit the YouTube channel for Freedom, a conservation group.
Other worthwhile videos involving birds:
- “Real birds eye view!” by Animal Camera BBC
- Speed diving Eagle with GoPro in Mongolia #2
Back to the sea, take a look at these videos:
- Hammerhead shark: GoPro: Hammerhead Fin Cam in 4K
- Halibut: Amazing under water footage from a camera mounted on a monster fish
Another dramatic video involves an octopus, although the camera was never actually mounted on the animal. See “Octopus steals my video camera and swims off with it (while it’s Recording).”
And this series of animal cams would not be complete without at least one domestic creature. “The Eye of the Riley” shows Zachary Johnson’s Corgi hiking through Los Angeles’ Runyon Canyon. And here’s a GoPro video called “Beautiful Day at the Dog Park.”
