Two adult Hawaiian monk seals interacting underwater. Credit: Krista Jaspers.
UH Mānoa-Led research reveals 25 call types and a never-before-heard ‘combinational’ communication strategy in monk seals.
New research led by UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) has drastically increased our understanding of Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) underwater sound production, revealing a vocal repertoire far more complex than previously described.
The study analysed thousands of hours of passive acoustic data and identified 25 distinct underwater vocalisations, a dramatic increase from the six calls previously known from seals in human care.
The team also found that Hawaiian monk seals produce these low-frequency calls throughout the day, with consistent vocal types detected across the Hawaiian Archipelago and higher calling rates at sites with greater seal abundance.
This breakthrough discovery establishes a baseline for understanding the acoustic world of this highly endangered and endemic Hawaiian species.
A Hawaiian monk seal takes a snooze. Credit: Fabien Vivier.
Key discoveries of a hidden world
Study lead author Kirby Parnell, a PhD candidate with MMRP, said: “We discovered that Hawaiian monk seals – one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals – are far more vocal underwater than previously known.
“By analysing over 4,500 hours of recordings from across the Hawaiian Archipelago, we identified more than 23,000 vocalisations representing at least 25 distinct call types.”
The study, which deployed passive acoustic recorders at five key monk seal habitats from Molokaʻi to the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, uncovered:
- Expanded vocal repertoire – researchers identified 20 previously undocumented calls;
- Novel communication strategy – the research provides evidence that monk seals can combine different vocalisations together, creating ‘combinational calls’ – a communication strategy never before reported in any pinniped species; and
- A foraging call – the team discovered one novel elemental call type, the Whine, produced during foraging, representing only the second known example of a seal species using vocalisations while pursuing prey.
Parnell said: “We were surprised by the sheer diversity and complexity of monk seal vocalisations.
“The discovery of combinational calls, where seals link multiple call types together, suggests a previously unknown level of complexity in pinniped acoustic communication.
“Finding a new call type – the Whine – associated with foraging behaviour was also unexpected and suggests that monk seals may use sound not only for mating or socialising, but possibly for foraging purposes as well.”
The passive acoustic recorder, SoundTrap 500, deployed at Kaluapapa, Moloka’i, was used to capture ocean sounds. Credit: Griffin Hoins.
Implications for Conservation in Hawaiʻi
The Hawaiian monk seal is Hawaiʻi’s only endemic marine mammal and a treasured part of Hawaiian culture. This research is vital for the species’ conservation, particularly in the face of increasing ocean noise.
Co-author Lars Bejder, director of MMRP and a professor at HIMB, said: “This research provides the first comprehensive description of free-ranging Hawaiian monk seal underwater sound production, an important step toward understanding how they use sound for critical life-history events.
“Because their vocalisations overlap with the same low-frequency range as many human-generated sounds (eg vessel noise), this work also helps us evaluate how ocean noise may affect communication, reproduction, and behaviour in this endangered species.”
These results lay the foundation for using passive acoustics to monitor monk seal populations across their vast range and to protect their acoustic habitats as human activity persists in Hawaiian waters.
Future research will decisively link these documented vocalisations to specific Hawaiian monk seal behaviours, such as foraging, swimming, social interactions, and reproduction.
A critical next step involves developing automated detection systems to monitor the seals’ acoustic activity more efficiently and non-invasively, providing a powerful, long-term tool for conservation management and ecological understanding.
The study is published in Royal Society Open Science.
