Seals sing ‘otherworldly’ nursery rhymes like songs

AFP | Paris

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When male leopard seals dive down into icy Antarctic waters, they sing songs structured like nursery rhymes in performances that can last up to 13 hours, scientists said Thursday.

The Australian-led team of researchers compared the complexity of the songs composed by the big blubbery mammals to those of other animals -- as well as human musicians like the Beatles and Mozart.

Lucinda Chambers, a bioacoustics PhD student at Australia’s University of New South Wales, told AFP that people are often surprised when they hear the “otherworldly” hoots and trills sung by leopard seals.

“It kind of sounds like sound effects from an ‘80s sci-fi” movie, said the lead author of a new study in the journal Scientific Reports.

During the spring breeding season, male leopard seals dive underwater and perform their songs for two minutes before returning to the surface for air. They then repeat this performance for up to 13 hours a day, according to the study.

The researchers determined that all leopard seals share the same set of five “notes” which are impossible to distinguish between individuals.

However each seal arranges these notes in a unique way to compose their own personal song.

“We theorise that they’re that structure as a way to broadcast their individual identity, kind of like shouting their name out into the void,” Chambers said.

The researchers believe the males use these songs to woo potential female mates -- and ward off rivals.