Wild seal filmed ‘clapping’ underwater for first time

'I’ve heard the distinctive shotgun-like ‘Crack!’ many times over the years... but filming the seals in action has eluded me for 17 years,' says researcher
Kate Ng 1 day ago

Researchers have captured video footage of a wild grey seal “clapping” and producing a “gunshot-like sound” underwater for the first time.

The video was part of an international study led by Monash University in Australia, and was published in the journal Marine Mammal Science on Sunday.

Clapping is believed to be used by male grey seals as a show of strength to warn competitors to stay away and attract potential mates.

The sound created by the clap is described as a “loud high-frequency noise” that cuts through any background noise in order to send a “clear signal” to nearby seals.

It was previously thought to be a vocal sound, but the new footage captured by Dr Ben Burville around Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland, clearly shows a male grey seal clapping its flippers to produce it.

Mr Burville, a researcher at Newcastle University, said: “I was diving off the Farne Islands when I first saw a large male clap underwater. The effect of the clap was instant and the rival males rapidly dispersed.

“The clap was incredibly loud and at first I found it hard to believe what I had seen. How could a seal make such a loud clap underwater with no air to compress between its flippers?

“I’ve heard the distinctive shotgun-like ‘Crack!’ many times over the years and I felt sure this clapping behaviour was the source, but filming the seals in action has eluded me for 17 years.

“Then one day I had heard a couple of slaps in the distance, I just hit the record button and eureka! I got it!,” he added.

Lead author Dr David Hocking of Monash University said: “The discovery of ‘clapping seals’ might not seem that surprising, after all, they’re famous for clapping in zoos and aquaria.

“But where zoo animals are often trained to clap for our entertainment – these grey seals are doing it in the wild of their own accord.

“Clapping appears to be an important social behaviour for grey seals, so anything that disturbed it could impact breeding success and survival for this species.”He added that noise pollution created by humans has been known to “interfere” with other forms of communications between marine mammals, including whale song.

“But if we do not know a behaviour exists, we cannot easily act to protect it,” he said.

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