Short moan call reveals seasonal occurrence and diel-calling pattern of crabeater seals in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) are an important component of the Southern Ocean as they are the most abundant pinniped species in this krill-based ecosystem; however, their acoustic repertoire and ecology remain to be fully described. Seasonal occurrence and diel-calling pattern of crabeater...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioacoustics
Main Authors: Shabangu, Fannie Welcome, Charif, Russell A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Taylor and Francis 2021
Subjects:
Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga)
Seasonal occurrence
Diel behaviour
Short moan call
Acoustic repertoire
Antarctic
Southern Ocean
Weddell Sea
Weddell
Maud Rise
Moan
Antarc*
Antarctica
Crabeater Seal
Crabeater Seals
Sea ice
South African National Antarctic Programme
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2263/78809
https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2020.1819877
Description
Summary:Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) are an important component of the Southern Ocean as they are the most abundant pinniped species in this krill-based ecosystem; however, their acoustic repertoire and ecology remain to be fully described. Seasonal occurrence and diel-calling pattern of crabeater seal off the Maud Rise, eastern Weddell Sea, are described using passive acoustic monitoring data collected over 8 months (mid-January to mid-September) in 2014. We describe a new call type of crabeater seals, the short moan call (mean 90% duration: 2.2 ± 0.3 (SD) s, peak frequency: 596.5 ± 109.4 Hz, and frequency range: 122–1024 Hz), which was the only detected call type and 1871 calls were enumerated. Those crabeater seal calls were detected from April until mid-September (with peak in calling around September), which coincided with the appearance of sea ice. Short moan call rates were highest at night in August (i.e., 6.4 calls per minute) and September, and showed no diel variations for April through July. Distance to the sea ice edge and month of the year were the most important predictors of call occurrence and call rates of crabeater seals. This study highlights the Maud Rise as a useful habitat for this species. The South African National Antarctic Programme and the National Research Foundation and South African National Antarctic Programme for funding the SABWP. http://www.tandfonline.comtoc/tbio20 2021-09-21 hj2021 Mammal Research Institute

Similar Items