A GoPro action camera mounted to a selfie stick was designed by an animal trainer to allow a sea lion to take underwater photos. The employee at the Aquarium of the Pacific in California made the water-proof device for Milo the sea lion to take self-portraits..
Hugh Ryono is Milo's trainer at the Long Beach aquarium. He shared in the aquarium's blog that he made the selfie stick so the sea creatures could use the action camera to take pictures of themselves.
Ryono shared that he made the selfie stick to give the same perspective that action sports athletes such as surfers provide, according to New York Daily News. It would create an immersive experience as if people were swimming underwater with Milo.
He attached a GoPro camera to a target pole. Meanwhile, the float counter-balanced the weight of the camera and mount so it would be easier for the sea lion to hold the device while swimming.
Milo tried out the device during a morning training session on February 11, Thursday. He held the action camera while swimming around the pool to make a video clip.
The footage shows that Milo was able to snap many photos while swimming around the aquarium's exhibit. His video has gone viral.
Milo has many fans at the California aquarium. One visitor described him as "funny" while Ryono said that he is smart and a fast learner.
In fact, one sea lion who lived at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) was one of the most intelligent animals in the world. Her name was Rio.
In a UCSC experiment researchers showed Rio pictures of a crab and tulip, and then photos of the same flower and a radio. She was able to link the crab and the radio, and was the first animal to use "forward transitivity," according to Cracked.
She could also do something called "backwards transivity." In fact, Rio was able to move forward and backward between 90 different shapes.
The first selfie was taken by American chemist Robert Cornelius in 1839. He snapped a photo of himself by removing the camera's lens cap, running into the frame, and then covering up the lens after one minute.