Why track Henry, Lilly and other marine animals with satellites?

Just like school kids who travel from home to school every day, many marine creatures regularly use the same migration routes.

Tracking marine animals using sophisticated satellite technology gives us a window into life under the waves, almost literally through the eyes of the animals themselves.

Thanks to technology, we humans can finally witness the journeys of marine wildlife through what may look to us like featureless blue waters. But oceans are not featureless and they are never boring.

Did you know there are oceanic canyons as deep and spectacular as the Grand Canyon, there are cliffs and forests – some of the kelp forests are almost 50 metres tall – and there are grassy plains of seagrass?

The ocean floor is just as diverse and fascinating as the land. The only difference is that, as humans, it is much easier for us to see the land above the coastline. There are plenty of secrets still to be discovered under the surface of the ocean.

The animals we are tracking are the top predators in these marine environments and they play an important part in maintaining the health of our seas.

Our work in tracking marine animals is uncovering their feeding “hotspots”. We are also working out how much food is required to keep these iconic predators alive and healthy.

The information collected will help us work out who eats who in Australia’s marine environment.

Many examples on land and in the sea have shown that if the top predators are not looked after by humans, the whole ecosystem and the industries that rely on them can suffer. It is part of our responsibility as a community to ensure that this does not happen.

By learning to appreciate and live alongside our top predators in their own environment, we reduce the risk that we will slowly lose the Southern Ocean’s unique biodiversity.

The www.henrythesealion.com website will provide real-time information on the movements and feeding behaviour of some of our most famous marine predators.

By visiting this website you can discover how each of these animals lives and about some of the things that threaten their survival.