Arctic and Antarctic phocids have a rich repertoire of underwater "vocalizations" but there is little data indicating that the harbor seal does much more than grunt and growl above water. Is it for lack of research or is this species mute underwater?
Dear Michael
Take look at the attached paper. Also pin this link: http://www.dosits.org/audio/marinemammals/pinnipeds/harborseal/
And find this paper: Canadian Journal of Zoology, 1985, Vol. 63, No. 5 : pp. 1050-1056 Vocalizations and vocal mimicry in captive harbor seals, Phoca vitulina Katherine Ralls, Patricia Fiorelli, Sheri Gish (doi: 10.1139/z85-157)
Hope this can be of some help to your research,
JP
send an enquiry to http://macaulaylibrary.org/. This is an extensive library of animal sounds including a lot from marine mammals. Harbour seals do make some grunts and bark-like sounds and they may have some copies. Check also Hanggi et al 1994, Animal Behavior 48:1275-1283 -good paper on vocs.
Thanks João and Ian. Your data are really helpful. We've been asked to develop an exhibit on marine bioacoustics in the SF bay area for an interpretive center. Unfortunately the most thrilling noise in our area are the Porichthys - plainfin midshipmen, and of course the ubiquitous snapping shrimp. Given the colorful vocalizations of the polar seals we were hoping that the harbor seal might give a more thrilling showing for the visitors - mostly kids.
Hi Michael, I am currently doing some work on harbour seal vocalizations. If your still looking for calls, send a message, I'd be happy to chat with you.
Hello Amanda. Thanks for your response. Yes I would like to speak with you if you have a moment. I am not a pinniped specialist, rather I work in marine bioacoustics but I am curious about why the P. vitulina seems so quiet
HI, I have tons of unpublished recordings of the underwater sounds of harbor seals in the Gulf of Maine. You can see a spectrogram and download a sample of a call from my web page at: http://www.fishecology.org/soniferous/fishing_grounds.htm
Interesting, it sounds like a quiet roar. All I've heard are bark/growls This hints at some of the complex frequency play found in the ice seals
Yes, the barks are more above water if I understand correctly. These roars are underwater vocalizations and are male seals setting up territories along the migration routes from the haul out to feeding grounds. In this case we had bottom mounted recorders in the old cod grounds in the gulf of Maine and that's where we tended to hear the seals for hours on end.
Probably, I have not looked the raw recordings for years. I have hundreds, if not thousands of recordings like this but have not extracted them. Lots of call and response sequences that go on for hours.
Took a quick look and here are some other files I had laying around. (the links in the pdf are no longer active)
Great ! Thanks. This is telling about the different acoustical adaptations of harbor seals v. ice seals
Its self noise of the old nomad jukebox recorders we used. Sometimes there are other noises due to electrical problems in the wiring (usually one channel, otherwise both should be identical).
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