First Application of 360-Degree Camera Technology to Marine Predator Bio-Logging

Animal-borne video camera systems have long-been used to capture the fine-scale behaviors and unknown aspects of the biology of marine animals. However, their utility to serve as robust scientific tools in the greater bio-logging research community has not been fully realized. Here we provide, for the first time, an application of 360-degree camera technology to a marine organism, using a large tiger shark as a proof-ofconcept case study. Leveraging the three-dimensional nature of the imaging technology, we derived 224 seafloor habitat assessments over the course of the nearly 1-h track, whereby the shark was able to survey similar to 23,000 square meters of seafloor; over threetimes greater than the capacity of non 360-degree cameras. The resulting data provided detailed information on habitat use, diving behavior, and swimming speed, as well seafloor mapping. Our results suggest that 360-degree cameras provide complimentary benefits-and in some cases superior efficiency-than unidirectional video packages, with an enhanced capacity to map seafloor.

Automated summary

Animal-borne 360-degree cameras have the potential to provide more robust scientific data and a greater capacity to map seafloor habitats compared to traditional unidirectional cameras. This study demonstrated the efficacy of using 360-degree camera technology on a large tiger shark, highlighting the benefits of this innovative approach in bio-logging research.