THREE‐DIMENSIONAL DIVING BEHAVIORS OF RINGED SEALS ( PHOCA HISPIDA )

• Published in: Marine Mammal Science
• Main Authors: Simpkins, Michael A., Kelly, Brendan P., Wartzok, Douglas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2001
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Phoca hispida
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2001.tb01305.x; http://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1748-7692.2001.tb01305.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2001.tb01305.x

A bstract Dives of five freely diving ringed seals were classified into three‐dimentional movement types. Horizontally convoluted dives, defined as dives with angular velocity > 15°/sec, appeared to be foraging or social dives. Simple dives that did not include convoluted movements (angular velocity < 10°/sec) were considered to be exploration dives. Directional dives with nearly linear horizontal travel (horizontal directionality >0.6, on a scale of 0–1) were presumed to be travel dives. Each three‐dimensional dive type was observed with similar frequency in dives with two distinct time‐depth profiles: V‐shaped profiles in which ascent immediately followed descent, and U‐shaped profiles in which >7 sec were spent at depth between descent and ascent. The lack of behavioral differences between dives with distinct time‐depth profiles suggested that time‐depth profiles are not a reliable means of inferring dive behaviors for ringed seals.