WITNESS the battle of the octopus versus the sea lion, filmed in South Australia using National Geographic "crittercams".
The video is the first to show how sea lions are helping scientists learn about the marine environment.
Sea lions fitted with GPS trackers and video cameras are leading scientists to hot spots of biodiversity, areas that should be protected.
Andrew Burnell from the Coast and Marine Conservation Branch of the Department of Environment and Heritage says the information is "very precise".
"(It) will help the community and DEH scientists ensure that zones in the marine parks protect important sea floor habitats across SA," he said.
Dr Brad Page from the SA Research and Development Institute said it was most important to find the sea lion feeding grounds. Footage has shown sea lions feed near the sea floor.
Some of the footage is being saved for a longer documentary but the first three-minute clip is a great ride on the back of a sea lion.
"We've never been able to imagine what it's like for a sea lion to grab an octopus by the tentacles and drag it up from 60m, while holding its breath, to get to the surface and to have to wrestle it leg by leg so that it can actually eat it," Dr Page said.
