Mystic Aquarium Exhibit Allows Visitors To See ‘The World Through Animal Eyes’

Experience what sea turtles, penguins, seals and other animals see. That’s the idea behind the traveling exhibit “National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes,” which opened recently at the .

The 6,000-square-foot exhibit, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, explores Crittercam technology and research. Seals, sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions are all part of the focus of Crittercam technology.

The Crittercam, a small non-invasive video and audio device, attaches to animals in the wild, allowing researchers and now visitors to the aquarium a rare perspective into animal behavior and habitat previously unavailable.

“We just learn things we would never know and you can only get those insights by actually being able to do direct observations on how animals are behaving out there in their own environment on time scales and spatial scales which are relevant to them,” said Greg Marshall, inventor of the Crittercam.

The exhibit is divided into sections based on specific animal species such as sharks, penguins and turtles. The exhibit features Crittercam footage, animal facts and full-scale models of animals deployed with Crittercam. Colorful interactive exhibits peppered throughout provide a multidimensional exhibit appropriate and engaging for all ages.

”This exhibit is one that fits very nicely with our research, education and exploration mission,” said Dr. Stephen Coan, President and CEO of Mystic Aquarium.

Coan appreciates the focus on technology and endangered animals in addition to the research based exhibit.

Marshall, a National Geographic scientist and filmmaker, invented the Crittercam in 1987. He is beginning to extend the capabilities of the Crittercam to new species of animals such as the Humboldt squid and beluga whale. Mystic Aquarium’s Tracy Romano is working in conjunction with Marshall on testing the whales for the ability to deploy Crittercam on wild belugas. 

“We are incredibly excited about this relationship with Tracy and the aquarium,” Marshall said. “We do whatever we can to work with captive animals first to evaluate how the Crittercam systems are designed and built. If we are comfortable with the captive work then we move on to field work.”  

With the support of National Geographic, the Crittercam is developing a level of sophistication allowing for new applications and more detailed research. In the field of animal research Crittercam is widely used technology, used for both terrestrial and aquatic species.

“Crittercam has become a standard tool for researchers,” Marshall said.  “We get calls all the time from the entire spectrum of Marine Mammalogists, Shark Biologists, Herpetologists and we’ve even worked with snapping turtles here in Connecticut.”  

The exhibit runs through the end of the year.