How Do You Get a Camera to Stick to a Manta Ray? Peanut Butter | National Geographic

mantas skin like shark skin is made up

mantas skin like shark skin is made up of these rough sandpaper identicals so

of these rough sandpaper identicals so

of these rough sandpaper identicals so it’s not a nice smooth surface like a

it’s not a nice smooth surface like a

it’s not a nice smooth surface like a whale and what that means we think is

whale and what that means we think is

whale and what that means we think is that the suction cups aren’t able to

that the suction cups aren’t able to

that the suction cups aren’t able to maintain that seal so we tried to find a

maintain that seal so we tried to find a

maintain that seal so we tried to find a sealant something in town here in yellow

sealant something in town here in yellow

sealant something in town here in yellow Appa that we could use and there was

Appa that we could use and there was

Appa that we could use and there was nothing really viscous enough that it

nothing really viscous enough that it

nothing really viscous enough that it would stay on the suction cup in the

would stay on the suction cup in the

would stay on the suction cup in the water while we were swimming over the

water while we were swimming over the

water while we were swimming over the Manta and the only thing that would

Manta and the only thing that would

Manta and the only thing that would really stay put was creamy peanut butter

really stay put was creamy peanut butter

really stay put was creamy peanut butter and so we gave that a go we put a nice

and so we gave that a go we put a nice

and so we gave that a go we put a nice big slop on the suction cup went down

big slop on the suction cup went down

big slop on the suction cup went down and the first one that we put it on

and the first one that we put it on

and the first one that we put it on doubled our previous retention time so

doubled our previous retention time so

doubled our previous retention time so by using peanut butter we were able to

by using peanut butter we were able to

by using peanut butter we were able to get six hour deployments on the mantas

nothing that we can find seems to work

nothing that we can find seems to work better than peanut butter and that’s the

better than peanut butter and that’s the

better than peanut butter and that’s the reason that peanut butter has become a

reason that peanut butter has become a

reason that peanut butter has become a crucial part of our toolkit

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