Review Monitoring the behavior and multi-dimensional movements of Weddell seals using an animal-borne video and data recorder

• Main Authors: All W. Davis, William Hagey, Markus Horning
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Antarctic; Weddell; Antarc*; Antarctic silverfish; Weddell Seal; Weddell Seals
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.491.851; http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~penguin/oogataHP/pdfarticles/14p148-154.pdf

Abstract: We have developed an animal-borne video and data recorder to observe Weddell seals foraging and to reconstruct their three-dimensional movements. The video and data recorder consists of a low-light-sensitive video camera with near-infrared light-emitting diodes that is mounted on top of the seal’s head to obtain close-up images of the seal’s muz-zle and the area in front of the animal. The main housing, which is mounted on the animal’s back, contains an 8-mm video tape recorder that can record for 6 h, batteries, a microcom-puter and transducers for pressure, water speed, compass bearing, and flipper stroke frequen-cy. Sound is recorded on one audio channel of the tape recorder with a hydrophone. Using these instruments, we have recorded over 500 h of underwater video and over 1000 three-dimensional dive paths with corresponding swimming performance data from 31 adult Weddell seals. We have documented seals foraging in the water column, on the sea floor, and at the under-ice surface. Mid-water foraging included encounters with large Antarctic tooth-fish and smaller Antarctic silverfish. Multivariate statistical analysis of variables derived from the temporal and spatial characteristics of three-dimensional dive paths have enabled us to classify dive types and, in some cases, assign a function such as foraging. key words: Weddell seal, diving, behavior, video