Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals
In McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Weddell seals return to traditional breeding colonies on shorefast ice each austral spring. This fast ice provides a stable platform, over a 2-month period, for raising pups and a fixed location for establishing underwater mating territories. However, it also may provid...
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ftdtic:ADA208289 2023-05-15T13:44:56+02:00 Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals Thomas, Jeanette A. Ferm, Lisa M. Kuechle, Valerian B. NAVAL OCEAN SYSTEMS CENTER SAN DIEGO CA 1989-03 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA208289 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA208289 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA208289 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. DTIC AND NTIS Biological Oceanography Acoustics *SEALS(MAMMALS) *UNDERWATER SOUND SIGNALS *MARINE BIOLOGICAL NOISE EDGES ISOLATION RATES ACOUSTIC DETECTION SEASONAL VARIATIONS ICE HABITATS COLONIES(BIOLOGY) QUIET ANTARCTIC REGIONS WHALES STABILIZED PLATFORMS BREEDING RISK ICE BREAKUP REPRINTS POSITION(LOCATION) WEDDELL SEALS SILENCE Text 1989 ftdtic 2016-02-23T05:35:19Z In McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Weddell seals return to traditional breeding colonies on shorefast ice each austral spring. This fast ice provides a stable platform, over a 2-month period, for raising pups and a fixed location for establishing underwater mating territories. However, it also may provide protection from predators. Weddell seals are the only marine mammal in the shorefast ice of McMurdo Sound from Oct through early Dec. When killer whales and leopard seals arrive in mid-December, they work the ice edge for available prey. As the fast ice breaks up, leads provide access to nearby Weddell seal colonies. In late December, icebreakers open a lead for entry to McMurdo Station. Killer whales and leopard seals use this large lead and its tributaries to move closer to Weddell seal colonies. The objective of this study was to document the rate of underwater calls from Weddell seals throughout the breeding season and to monitor changs in this rate associated with the arrival of leopard seals and killer whales. Weddell seals have 34 underwater sounds. We hypothesize that if fast ice provides Weddell seals a refuge from predators during breeding, then Weddell seals can risk advertising and defending underwater mating territories with loud sounds. However, when the fast ice habitat no longer provides isolation from predators, Weddell seals become silent to prevent detection. Marine biological noise, Seals/mammals. Reprints. Sponsored in part by NSF grants DPP 77-2194 and DPP 77-21646. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Leopard Seals McMurdo Sound Weddell Seal Weddell Seals Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database Antarctic Austral McMurdo Sound McMurdo Station ENVELOPE(166.667,166.667,-77.850,-77.850) Weddell |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
op_collection_id |
ftdtic |
language |
English |
topic |
Biological Oceanography Acoustics *SEALS(MAMMALS) *UNDERWATER SOUND SIGNALS *MARINE BIOLOGICAL NOISE EDGES ISOLATION RATES ACOUSTIC DETECTION SEASONAL VARIATIONS ICE HABITATS COLONIES(BIOLOGY) QUIET ANTARCTIC REGIONS WHALES STABILIZED PLATFORMS BREEDING RISK ICE BREAKUP REPRINTS POSITION(LOCATION) WEDDELL SEALS SILENCE |
spellingShingle |
Biological Oceanography Acoustics *SEALS(MAMMALS) *UNDERWATER SOUND SIGNALS *MARINE BIOLOGICAL NOISE EDGES ISOLATION RATES ACOUSTIC DETECTION SEASONAL VARIATIONS ICE HABITATS COLONIES(BIOLOGY) QUIET ANTARCTIC REGIONS WHALES STABILIZED PLATFORMS BREEDING RISK ICE BREAKUP REPRINTS POSITION(LOCATION) WEDDELL SEALS SILENCE Thomas, Jeanette A. Ferm, Lisa M. Kuechle, Valerian B. Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
topic_facet |
Biological Oceanography Acoustics *SEALS(MAMMALS) *UNDERWATER SOUND SIGNALS *MARINE BIOLOGICAL NOISE EDGES ISOLATION RATES ACOUSTIC DETECTION SEASONAL VARIATIONS ICE HABITATS COLONIES(BIOLOGY) QUIET ANTARCTIC REGIONS WHALES STABILIZED PLATFORMS BREEDING RISK ICE BREAKUP REPRINTS POSITION(LOCATION) WEDDELL SEALS SILENCE |
description |
In McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Weddell seals return to traditional breeding colonies on shorefast ice each austral spring. This fast ice provides a stable platform, over a 2-month period, for raising pups and a fixed location for establishing underwater mating territories. However, it also may provide protection from predators. Weddell seals are the only marine mammal in the shorefast ice of McMurdo Sound from Oct through early Dec. When killer whales and leopard seals arrive in mid-December, they work the ice edge for available prey. As the fast ice breaks up, leads provide access to nearby Weddell seal colonies. In late December, icebreakers open a lead for entry to McMurdo Station. Killer whales and leopard seals use this large lead and its tributaries to move closer to Weddell seal colonies. The objective of this study was to document the rate of underwater calls from Weddell seals throughout the breeding season and to monitor changs in this rate associated with the arrival of leopard seals and killer whales. Weddell seals have 34 underwater sounds. We hypothesize that if fast ice provides Weddell seals a refuge from predators during breeding, then Weddell seals can risk advertising and defending underwater mating territories with loud sounds. However, when the fast ice habitat no longer provides isolation from predators, Weddell seals become silent to prevent detection. Marine biological noise, Seals/mammals. Reprints. Sponsored in part by NSF grants DPP 77-2194 and DPP 77-21646. |
author2 |
NAVAL OCEAN SYSTEMS CENTER SAN DIEGO CA |
format |
Text |
author |
Thomas, Jeanette A. Ferm, Lisa M. Kuechle, Valerian B. |
author_facet |
Thomas, Jeanette A. Ferm, Lisa M. Kuechle, Valerian B. |
author_sort |
Thomas, Jeanette A. |
title |
Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
title_short |
Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
title_full |
Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
title_fullStr |
Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Silence as an Antipredation Strategy by Weddell Seals |
title_sort |
silence as an antipredation strategy by weddell seals |
publishDate |
1989 |
url |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA208289 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA208289 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(166.667,166.667,-77.850,-77.850) |
geographic |
Antarctic Austral McMurdo Sound McMurdo Station Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Austral McMurdo Sound McMurdo Station Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Leopard Seals McMurdo Sound Weddell Seal Weddell Seals |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Leopard Seals McMurdo Sound Weddell Seal Weddell Seals |
op_source |
DTIC AND NTIS |
op_relation |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA208289 |
op_rights |
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
_version_ |
1766208782123139072 |