Crittercam: Grey Seals

Wild Chronicles heads to the wintry waters of the North Atlantic to solve a mystery—two populations of seals share Sable Island's harsh environment, yet one is thriving and the other is not. To find out why, scientists called on National Geographic's Crittercam® to help them see as seals see and go where humans can't. Now Crittercam® is back from the deep freeze, the evidence is in and the mysteries of the seals are exposed.
1. What two types of seals inhabit Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada?
  
  Show Answer
  
  Grey seals and harbor seals both live on Sable Island.
2. What is the major difference between the two types of seals?
  
  Show Answer
  
  Grey seals are larger than harbor seals.
3. Scientists on Sable Island use Crittercam® to observe seal behavior. What particular behavior do they hope to observe?
  
  Show Answer
  
  Scientists hope to see if grey seals and harbor seals have the same sources of food, and use similar hunting techniques.
4. Do both seal populations feed on the same food source?
  
  Show Answer
  
  Yes, both grey and harbor seals feed primarily on a fish called the sand lance.
5. What is the difference in the hunting techniques of the seal populations?
  
  Show Answer
  
  Grey seals hunt sand lances near the ocean floor, while harbor seals hunt in the open ocean, where the fish swim in schools.
Audio & Video
- National Geographic Animals: Crittercam and Wildcam
Websites
- National Geographic Education: Crittercam Education
- National Geographic: Crittercam—Interactive Missions

Term	Part of Speech	Definition
Crittercam	Noun	camera designed to be worn on a wild animal, providing a "critter-eye view" of the animal's environment.
environment	Noun	conditions that surround and influence an organism or community.
seal	Noun	marine mammal with flippers and a sleek coat.

Credits

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Editor

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society

Producers

Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society
Nina Page, National Geographic Society

Last Updated

Aug. 23, 2011

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