Database Description The files represent the 41 different Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) call types identified at either Mawson, Davis, and/or Casey. They were collected between 60 degrees 49' E and 110o 40' E in longitude, and between 66 degrees 12' S and 68 degrees 34' S in latitude. Each call type name includes two elements. The first is a three-digit number starting at 301 to identify the call type. The second is a one to three-letter code referring to the call category that each type falls into. The 13 different possible call categories are: SymbolNameDescription OToneConstant-frequency, predominantly sinusoidal call. LGrowlConstant-frequency, broad bandwidth, long call. QWhoopConstant-frequency call with a terminal upsweep. SSqueakBrief call with constant frequency or rising frequency and an irregular waveform. WAWhistle AscendingAscending frequency, sinusoidal waveform. TCTrill Constant-FrequencyNarrow bandwidth trill with a constant-frequency beginning, sinusoidal or frequency-modulated waveform. TTrillNarrow to broad bandwidth, containing a frequency downsweep, greater than 2 seconds. WDWhistle DescendingDescending frequency, sinusoidal waveform (less than 2 seconds). MMewAbruptly descending frequency followed by a long constant-frequency ending. CChugAbruptly descending frequency followed by a brief constant-frequency ending. GGuttural Glug (Grunt)Descending-frequency call that was lower than a Chug and had a brief duration. WAGWhistle Ascending - GruntBrief Ascending Whistle followed by a Guttural Glug (Grunt), the two types alternate in a regular pattern. KKnockAbrupt, brief-duration broadband sound (from: Pahl, B.C., Terhune, J.M. and Burton, H.R. 1997). The 41 call types were divided into two sections, the first 33 (301-O to 333-K) being common call types and the last 8 (334-Q to 341-WD) being rare call types. In each call type folder, one to five different samples of each call type are provided. They are identified by a small case letter added at the end of the call type name. Each sample includes both a .WAV audio sample and a .JPG image of the call type spectrogram showing call shape, i.e., changes in call frequency (vertical) over time (horizontal). These call types were used to identify: (a) unique call types or call categories, (b) differences in call type or call category usage (the frequency of occurrence of each call type or category), and (c) differences in call features (number of elements, start frequency, frequency shift and first element duration) among the three stations. The download file also includes a spreadsheet of data and a text file explaining how to interpret the data. Analysis of this dataset is ongoing.

Underwater vocalisations of Weddell seals were recorded at Casey (1997) and Davis (1992 and 1997) Antarctica. The goal of the study was to determine if it would be possible to identify geographic variations between the Casey and Davis seals using easily measured, narrow bandwidth calls (and not broadband or very short duration calls). Two observers measured the starting and ending frequency (Hz), duration (msec) and number of elements (discrete sounds) of four categories of calls; long duration trills, shorter descending frequency whistles, ascending frequency whistles and constant frequency mews. The statistical analyses considered all calls per base, single and multiple element calls, and individual call types. Except for trills, discriminant function analysis indicated less variation between the call attributes from Davis in 1992 and 1997 than between either of the Davis data sets and Casey 1997. The data set contains measures from 2966 calls; approximately 1000 calls per base and year. Up to 100 consecutive calls were measured from each recording location per day of recording so the data set indicates the relative occurrence of each of the call types per base and year. There were very few ascending whistles at Casey. All of the trills and mews contained a single element. This data set was published in Bioacoustics 11: 211-222. The fields in this dataset are: Observer Station Location Time Call Number Call Type Frequency Duration Elements Overlap In 2011, another download file was added to this record, providing recording locations made during the project in 2010. Furthermore: In 1997 Daniela Simon made some opportunistic recordings for the project near Casey. The recording locations were: Berkley Island 110 38'E, 66 12' 40"S Herring Island 110 40'E, 66 25'S O'Brien Bay 110 31'E, 66 18' 30"S Eyres Bay 110 32'E, 66 29" 20"S The Davis sites: IN 1990 THERE WAS ONLY ONE RECORDING SITE - 78 12.5' E, 68 31.6' S IN 1997 RECORDINGS WERE MADE AT THE FOLLOWING SITES EAST SIDE OF WEDDELL ARM - 78 07.55' E 68 32.17' S PARTIZAN ISLAND - 78 13.66' E 68 29.57' S LONG FJORD - 78 18.95' E 68 30.24' S TOPOGRAV ISLAND - 78 12.40' E 68 29.33'S OFFSHORE - 77 58.73'E 68 26.35'S TRYNE BAY - 78 26.25'E 68 24.87'S LUCAS ISLAND - 77 57.00'E 68 30.36'S WYATT EARP ISLANDS - 78 31.51'E 68 21.31'S ================================================================================ The attached document is "a listing of the Weddell seal breeding locations near Mawson where Patrick Abgrall in 2000 and Phil Rouget in 2002 made underwater recordings". The sound recording effort in 2000 was not as high as it was in 2002, hence fewer locations are listed. The Abgrall sites are referred to in the paper 'Variation of Weddell seal underwater vocalizations over mesogeographic ranges' that Abgrall, Terhune Burton co-authored, published in Aquatic mammals in 2003. This paper also refers to the Casey and Davis sites above. The Rouget sites relate to the metadata record 'Weddell Seal underwater calling rates during the winter and spring near Mawson Station, Antarctica' Entry ID: ASAC_1132-1 In general the seals can create breathing holes in areas where tide cracks form, namely close to grounded icebergs, the shoreline and islands. I doubt that they could/would create breathing holes through solid 2 m ice.