Scientists to Study Seal Predation Habits in the Dark of the Antarctic Polar Night
31.08.2010 - Flora & Fauna, Antarctic
Scientists Randall Davis, Lee Fuiman, Terrie Williams and a team of researchers from Texas A & M University are heading to Antarctica in an effort to find out how Weddell seals behave and survive during the long polar night in Antarctica when there is little light available under the ice for hunting.
So far the team has found that seals apparently take advantage of the little light there is. While prior studies offered the scientists better insight into seal behaviour, it also helped gathering data on two of its prey: the Antarctic silverfish and the Antarctic toothfish. From these previous studies, biologists learned a lot on the behaviour of Weddell seals in bright daylight.
While the species relies mainly on its vision to hunt when light is available, biologists are rather clueless when it comes to how they hunt in the dark. The team believes the seals might rely on their whiskers to hunt in the dark. These very complicated sense organs, which have more than 500 nerve endings, could help seals detect the wake of swimming fish.
Through video data, the biologists will be able to observe the seal’s muzzle and whiskers to determine if there is any movement prior to a capture. In addition, the researchers will analyze the impact of climate change on seals and the species’ adaptation to their changing habitat. Each seal selected by the scientists will be equipped with a satellite transmitter and very high frequency (VHF) transmitter which will sends a signal to a satellite every time the seal surfaces.
