Seals Think Acoustic Tags On Fish Are Dinner Bells



When scientists are studying fish or invertebrates they often mark them with acoustic tags that make ultrasonic pinging noises. Although the marked animal cannot hear the sound a new study finds that predators such as grey seals may hear those tags as a dinner bell.

Amanda L. Stansbury of the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland and colleagues set up a foraging experiment consisting of 20 boxes placed at regular locations along the bottom of the wall of a long pool:

Eighteen boxes were empty, one had fish in it, and the last had fish plus an acoustic fish tag. Each seal was then given 20 trials to find a fish. The results of the study were published November 19 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Over time, the seals became better at finding a box with the fish. And in the later trials, they found the fish in the box with the tag more easily than the one with the fish alone.
More: Science News

Comments

Statcounter