Depending on where you spend your time in the ocean, there’s a good chance you’re sharing that time with seals. And as researchers recently discovered, they might be applauding you.
Generally, marine mammals communicate vocally. Whistles and barks are the most common, but a study coming out of Monash University has found that wild grey seals also clap their flippers underwater. They do it during the breeding season, and researchers believe they do it to show off their strength and advertise to a potential mate that they’re available. “Depending on the context, the claps may help to ward off competitors and/or attract potential mates,” lead study author Dr. David Hocking told Phys.org. “Think of a chest-beating male gorilla, for example. Like seal claps, those chest beats carry two messages: I am strong, stay away; I am strong, my genes are good.”
While clapping seals might be something you’ve seen before, it’s something you’ve seen in aquariums. “The discovery of ‘clapping seals’ might not seem that surprising. After all, they’re famous for clapping in zoos and aquaria,” Dr. Hocking explained. “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.”
Dr. Ben Burville, a Visiting Researcher with Newcastle University, UK, published the findings in the journal Marine Mammal Science. “The clap was incredibly loud and at first I found it hard to believe what I had seen,” Dr. Burville said. “How could a seal make such a loud clap underwater with no air to compress between its flippers?”
