Watch: Robot Spy Turtle Lays ‘Camera Eggs’ for Vultures to Steal

The latest “spy cam” clip from the PBS docu-series Spy in the Wild 2 takes the robot camera bit farther than before. Not only did they use a robot “spy turtle” to capture the nesting process up close, the spy actually laid its own “camera eggs” that captured what it’s like to be attacked by vultures looking for a quick meal.

The clip features three “spy” creatures in all: a drone disguised as a vulture captures the incredible turtle swarm from above, the spy turtle shows the process from up close, and then the clutch of camera eggs captures what it’s like for the baby turtles that never get the chance to hatch.

It’s an impressive bit of wildlife filmmaking that’s almost stranger than fiction: robot camera turtle lays camera eggs to capture never-before-seen footage of olive ridley turtle aribada in Costa Rica… while vulture camera watches from above. The headline writes itself.

According to the video’s description, hundreds of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles come to the shores of Ostional in Costa Rica to lay their eggs each year, with up to 20,000 arriving every day. Each can lay up to 100 eggs, and when they’re done, they must bury them quickly before the vultures arrive.

Now, thanks to Spy in the Wild, we get to see what this looks like from above, on the ground, and even from the perspective of the vulnerable eggs.

Check out the full video up top to see this never-before-filmed vantage point for yourself. And if this clip piqued your interest, you’ll find several more Spy in the Wild clips in the PetaPixel archives, including a robot monkey, a robot hummingbird, and a robot ‘spy pig’ who got on the wrong side of some Komodo dragons.

(via Laughing Squid)