Underwater bioacoustic analysis of bearded seal behavior off Barrow, Alaska

Abstract

Bearded seal vocalizations were collected incidentally during the 1993 bowhead whale census. Analysis of seal locations, calculated by triangulation of the vocalizations, provided information on seal swim velocity, distribution, and movement. Swim speeds fell within previously documented values. Seal positions, when correlated with satellite images, suggested that seal distribution was directly associated with ice topography. Individually tracked seals exhibited different types of movements including: maintenance of position, rapid increase in speed and slower, prolonged directional travel. Swim speeds, distributions, and movements suggest distinct behaviors which may include foraging, territorial or female defense, or display. Movement and behaviors may alter as ice conditions change throughout the breeding season. Bioacoustics, when coupled with other research methods, is a useful tool in the study of the behavior of less accessible animals.