🧪🧵Throwing it back to more science from my past with a quick thread on some of the questions being examined in a cool field... phocid bioacoustics aka the science of seal sounds! 🦭🔊 What are some of the questions researchers are asking about how seals communicate vocally? ⤵️ 1/6
Also sorry these all posted individually instead of in a neat collapsed lil thread, dear god 😭
🧪Bonus skeet: through my time in the field of phocid bioacoustics I discovered my dog Zoe loves listening to seal recordings 😂
🧪Tl;dr we still have so many questions about how other species produce and perceive sound, why they vocalize, and what determines their vocal repertoires! Here’s a paper on acoustic allometry that came out of this work if you want to start diving into findings! 6/6
Summary: Harbour seals are vocal learners that can escape acoustic allometry despite complying with anatomical allometric constraints. Advanced neural control over their vocal organs may allow them to...
🧪And, of course, the age old question of vocal learning- can individuals learn to make novel sounds? Can they imitate other individuals or species? With a comparative approach, studying vocal rhythms, learning, and anatomy in other species can also teach us about the evolution of human speech! 5/6
🧪Acoustic allometry- how does body size constrain dimensions of vocal anatomy and, as a result, sound production? Interactive vocal rhythms- do individuals adjust temporal patterns of calls when interacting with others (ex. synchronize to sound louder as a group as an anti-predatory tactic)? 4/6
🧪The science team used a variety of methods from audio playback experiments to xray imaging to necropsy (no animals were harmed for the purpose of research) to study seal vocal behavior and anatomy. A few cool areas of focus: acoustic allometry, interactive vocal rhythms, and vocal learning. 3/6
🧪Our research was done in conjunction with a seal rehab center. Seals were under vet care due to injury, illness, or being orphaned. Most were re-released after a few months of getting healthier/chunkier. Vet & science teams worked closely to ensure research never conflicted w/ care plans! 2/6
