n recent years, the issue of climate change has received a good deal of attention from media, governments, and communities around the world. But what does climate change mean for sea turtles and their habitats?

Sea turtle researchers are often asked seemingly simple questions: How much do leatherbacks weigh? How many eggs do they lay? Are their numbers declining, and will they become extinct? Research has revealed that the answer to each of those age-old queries for leatherbacks is consistent: it depends.

One of the great difficulties in studying marine animals is that they spend most of their lives in places where humans can’t go. In 1986, biologist Greg Marshall had an idea, a new way to reveal this hidden world. This idea resulted in Crittercam— an animal-borne camera and data-logging device that records behavioral and ecological observations from the unique perspective of the creature wearing the device.