We discovered that Weddell seals regularly produce ultrasonic vocalizations underwater. Nine common call types were discovered having components with fundamental frequencies above the human hearing range (higher than 20 kHz). The highest-frequency fundamentals of these seal vocalizations are at about 50 kHz.
As published in 2020 in JASA at doi.org/10.1121/10.0002867 (Dec. 18, 2020)
The bizarre sounds you hear in this video are all produced by Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica - as you would hear them while diving under the ice. The newly-discovered ultrasonic calls are NOT audible. Many are similar to the sounds you hear here, but at higher frequencies.
Video/audio spectrograms of the new ultrasonic sounds:
• Ultrasonic calls of th...
Video evidence of a seal making ultrasonic sounds:
• Weddell seal producing...
No other pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, walrus) are currently known to use these high-frequency sounds.
The ultrasonic calls were found in two years of continuous underwater audio recorded by the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory (MOO) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. moo-antarctica.net
Nobody knows how seals find their way around under the ice, especially during the absolute darkness of Antarctic winter. We speculate that some of the ultrasonic sounds might have some function in a form of echolocation-like behavior, as is used by dolphins and bats.
Or, they could just be for communication - like using a different communication channel when the lower frequencies are cluttered with other sounds.
Humans are able to hear sounds up to about 20 kHz. But, as we age that value drops somewhat, with most people topping out at from 12 - 16 kHz. These seals can likely hear sounds with frequencies up to about 60 kHz.
All videography by Henry Kaiser (moo-antarctica.net/people)
For more info, please visit www.moo-antarctica.net
The McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory is a project managed by Paul A. Cziko at the University of Oregon USA, supported by the US Antarctic Program and funded by the US National Science Foundation.
Негізгі бет Ғылым және технология Weddell seals produce *ultrasonic* vocalizations (Antarctica) - NEW scientific discovery!
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