Marine scientists have clever ways to find out what’s going on under the waves even when humans aren’t there to see. One method is using a camera system called a BRUV.
“A BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) is an underwater camera system baited to attract marine life, helping us record species presence and behaviour without disturbing the habitat.” explains the Marine Biological Association (MBA) on Instagram.
With a BRUV in place on the seafloor, researchers can sit back and wait to see what approaches the covert camera. They never quite know what will appear or how long it might take to be tempted by the bait.
In one video recently shared by the MBA on Instagram, a spiny starfish took so long to creep towards the bait that they had to speed up the footage when sharing it with followers.
"The spiny starfish is unmistakeable – firstly, it is HUGE, growing to the size of a dustbin lid. Secondly, it really is very spiny – its whole body covered in white spines,” according to The Wildlife Trusts’ website. “Like other starfish, they too are a voracious predator and prey on bivalve molluscs, crustaceans and other starfish."
The starfish took its sweet time getting to the BRUV, approaching so slowly that its movement was almost imperceptible. As it crawled closer, the echinoderm wraps its arms, one by one, around the bait box until it seemed to be giving it a hug.
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