Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

16.4K
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
16.4K
Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

18.5K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
18.5K
Conservation of Small Populations02:04

Conservation of Small Populations

13.3K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
13.3K
Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

12.4K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
12.4K
Keystone Species01:39

Keystone Species

22.0K
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a...
22.0K
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

9.7K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
9.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Wildlife Responses to Drone Noise: A Preliminary Approach for Quantifying Disturbance During Single- and Dual-Drone Flights.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Environmental DNA Sampling from Whale-Watching Vessels for Cetacean Monitoring.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE·2026
Same author

Non-invasive auditory brainstem response measurements in an unanesthetized Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti).

JASA express letters·2026
Same author

In the tracks of a whale: inferring size class, orientation and swimming speed from thermal flukeprints.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026
Same author

WildDrone: autonomous drone technology for monitoring wildlife populations.

Frontiers in robotics and AI·2026
Same author

Deep breath out: molecular survey of selected pathogens in blow and skin biopsies from North Atlantic cetaceans.

BMC veterinary research·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Implantation of a New Micro Acoustic Tag in Juvenile Pacific Lamprey and American Eel
08:36

Implantation of a New Micro Acoustic Tag in Juvenile Pacific Lamprey and American Eel

Published on: March 16, 2019

10.2K

Are Icelandic harbor seals acoustically cryptic to avoid predation?

Helen Rößler1, Jakob Tougaard2, Puk F Sabinsky1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark.

JASA Express Letters
|September 26, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Male harbor seals produce distinct underwater roars during mating season. Roar structure varies with predation levels, with longer, lower-intensity roars in high-predation areas.

More Related Videos

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo
07:39

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

Published on: July 22, 2018

7.7K
Handling and Tagging Techniques for Implanting Juvenile American Shad with a New Acoustic Microtransmitter
09:01

Handling and Tagging Techniques for Implanting Juvenile American Shad with a New Acoustic Microtransmitter

Published on: June 14, 2024

2.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Implantation of a New Micro Acoustic Tag in Juvenile Pacific Lamprey and American Eel
08:36

Implantation of a New Micro Acoustic Tag in Juvenile Pacific Lamprey and American Eel

Published on: March 16, 2019

10.2K
A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo
07:39

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

Published on: July 22, 2018

7.7K
Handling and Tagging Techniques for Implanting Juvenile American Shad with a New Acoustic Microtransmitter
09:01

Handling and Tagging Techniques for Implanting Juvenile American Shad with a New Acoustic Microtransmitter

Published on: June 14, 2024

2.4K

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Bioacoustics
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Male harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) exhibit stereotypic underwater roars during their mating season.
  • The influence of environmental factors, such as predation levels, on these vocalizations is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how predation levels affect the structural characteristics of harbor seal underwater roars.
  • To compare roar parameters between populations exposed to high and low predation risks.

Main Methods:

  • Acoustic recordings of male harbor seal roars were collected from populations in Iceland (high predation) and Denmark/Sweden (low predation).
  • Roar structures, including pulse train duration, pauses, frequency, and sound levels, were analyzed and compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • Roars from the high-predation area (Iceland) were characterized by a long pulse train and a pause.
  • Icelandic harbor seal roars occurred less frequently, lasted significantly longer (20.3 ± 6.5 s), and had lower received sound levels (98.3 ± 8.9 dB re 1 μPa RMS) compared to those from Denmark and Sweden.
  • Roar characteristics differed significantly between the high and low predation sites.

Conclusions:

  • Predation levels represent a significant extrinsic factor influencing underwater sound production in male harbor seals.
  • Environmental pressures, particularly predation, may play a more substantial role in shaping harbor seal vocalizations than previously recognized.