02118nas a2200193   4500008004100000022002500041245011100066210006900177260001600246300000900262520146700271100002501738700002501763700002001788700002001808700002601828700001801854856005201872       2022                        eng d  a0952-4622, 2165-058600aIn-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of wild juvenile crabeater seals during rehabilitation0 aInair acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of wild juven  cAug-18-2022  a1-233 a<p>In-air sounds of pinnipeds are important for interactions with conspecifics and threat displays. However, little is known about the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga. We investigated the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of two male and one female wild juvenile crabeater seals that beached separately, and were rehabilitated in Durban and Gqeberha, South Africa. In-air sounds were visually identified and categorised into five classes validated via random forest model classification: brief, intermediate, and long moan calls, croaks, and hisses. Hisses were common (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;25,105 sounds from 136 hrs of acoustic recordings) and detected during heightened arousal states and interactions with animal care staff and a conspecific. Furthermore, hisses were also recorded in low arousal states during exhalation. Moan calls (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;241) were only detected from two of the three seals. During rehabilitation, the female seal ceased producing moan calls and later produced a series of croaks (n&thinsp;=&thinsp;204). Acoustic characteristics of in-air moan calls differed from published underwater moan calls according to duration, minimum, and maximum frequencies, and pulse repetition rate. Our study shows that the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of these Antarctic seals are dynamic, vary inter-individually and are context dependent.</p>
1 aShabangu, Fannie, W.1 aHofmeyr, G., J. Greg1 aProbert, Rachel1 aConnan, Maëlle1 aBuhrmann, Corrine, A.1 aGridley, Tess  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2022.2108145