Satellite Tracking

To find out how seals live, scientists need to know what they do at sea. Where do they go? How long do they stay at sea? How often and where do they rest?

Small transmitters with batteries can be glued onto the fur of a seal. The transmitter sends a signal to a satellite and the satellite sends the signal to a receiver station in France.

The scientists in Australia can use the internet to collect the information about each tracked seal.

The scientists try to recapture the seal to get the tracker back. Sometimes the seal is too hard to catch. But when a mammal sheds its old hair and grows new hair, (moulting) the transmitter will fall off. Australian Fur Seals moult in February to March each year.

To learn more about satellite tracking please click on the side tabs.