The United States Navy has a new ally on their side in the war on terror: marine mammals. Does this seem too far fetched for you? Think again. The Navy has teamed up with Navy Marine Mammals in the fight against terrorism. These animals are based out of San Diego and have been trained alert Navy divers to devices and place markers in order to have the divers retrieve and defuse the devices.

Tom LaPuzza, of the Navy Marine Mammals program, said of the benefits of using marine mammals, “Security is of vital importance, and humans are very slow in the water. Sea lions can see five times as well. And dolphins can use their sonar to spot items that would take humans days or weeks to find.

LaPuzza pointed to the fact that California is home to 11 ports that handle 60 percent of the nation’s container shipping traffic, making the state a good target for a terrorist attack.

This is not a new concept in the U.S. as dolphins and sea lions have been reported to have been used during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Vietnam War. None of the animals have been harmed during training or during the anti-terrorist drills.