Scientists try to observe wildlife in as natural a way as possible. After all we want to see what the animal does under normal circumstances, not what it does when it sees us -- like running away or trying to scare us away. It is important that the research not change any of the behaviors that a researcher wishes to observe. That means that lights are not a good option--not at night, under rocks, or in a cave.

In their bag of tricks, scientists have a method called infrared (IR) imaging that allows us to see in the dark. Living things emit infrared radiation so cameras that are sensitive to IR can see living things in the dark. The warmer an object, the more IR it emits. You may have seen people through IR sensitve night vision goggles.

To think about:
Just what is "heat"?

Very specialized and expensive cameras can "see" the heat that living organisms produce (infrared radiation) and provide enough resolution so that we can see in the dark.

A much less expensive infrared camera uses special IR emitters that "shine" harmless infrared radiation on plants and animals of interest. The camera can then "see" radiation that is reflected back. This is the type of camera that many scientists use, together with time-lapse technologies to watch an area for long periods of time.

At the Ocean Institute
Students and visitors at the Ocean Institute recently used infrared cameras to observe octopus behaviors without disturbing her as she cared for her eggs.