sea lions

How do you study unmapped areas of the ocean and identify critical habitat for an endangered species? You include the study animal in the scientific process! Researchers from the University of Adelaide fitted endangered Australian sea lions with cameras and tracking devices to better understand where they spent their time. The information could help scientists protect critical sea lion habitat and could give researchers a new tool for mapping the ocean.

Interested in more underwater science? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.

An uptick in malnourished pups on the coast has rescue centers struggling to keep up. Changing weather patterns and warmer ocean waters could be to blame, but it's still too early to tell.