Grey seals discovered clapping underwater to communicate

Seal swimming underwater (stock image).

Marine mammals like whales and seals usually communicate vocally using calls and whistles.

But now a Monash University-led international study has discovered that wild grey seals can also clap their flippers underwater during the breeding season, as a show of strength that warns off competitors and advertises to potential mates.

This is the first time a seal has been seen clapping completely underwater using its front flippers.

"The discovery of 'clapping seals' might not seem that surprising, after all, they're famous for clapping in zoos and aquaria," said lead study author Dr David Hocking from Monash University's School of Biological Sciences.

"But where zoo animals are often trained to clap for our entertainment -- these grey seals are doing it in the wild of their own accord."

The research, published today in the journal Marine Mammal Science, is based on video footage collected by naturalist Dr Ben Burville, a Visiting Researcher with Newcastle University, UK.

The footage -- which took Dr Burville 17 years of diving to catch on film -- shows a male grey seal clapping its paw-like flippers to produce a gunshot-like 'crack!' sound.

"The clap was incredibly loud and at first I found it hard to believe what I had seen," Dr Burville said.

"How could a seal make such a loud clap underwater with no air to compress between its flippers?"

"Other marine mammal species can produce similar types of percussive sound by slapping the water with their body or tail," said Associate Professor Alistair Evans from Monash University, who was also involved in the study.

The loud high-frequency noise produced by clapping cuts through background noise, sending out a clear signal to any other seals in the area.

"Depending on the context, the claps may help to ward off competitors and/or attract potential mates," Dr Hocking said.

"Think of a chest-beating male gorilla, for example. Like seal claps, those chest beats carry two messages: I am strong, stay away; and I am strong, my genes are good."

Dr Hocking said clapping seals demonstrates just how much there still is to learn about the animals living around us.

Clapping appears to be an important social behaviour for grey seals, so anything that disturbed it could impact breeding success and survival for this species.

"Human noise pollution is known to interfere with other forms of marine mammal communication, including whale song," Dr Hocking said.

"But if we do not know a behaviour exists, we cannot easily act to protect it."

Understanding the animals around us better may just help us to protect them, and their way of life.

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Materials provided by Monash University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

African grey parrots spontaneously 'lend a wing'

African grey parrots (stock image).

People and other great apes are known for their willingness to help others in need, even strangers. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on January 9 have shown for the first time that some birds -- and specifically African grey parrots -- are similarly helpful.

"We found that African grey parrots voluntarily and spontaneously help familiar parrots to achieve a goal, without obvious immediate benefit to themselves," says study co-author Désirée Brucks of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany.

Parrots and crows are known for having large brains relative to the size of their bodies and problem-solving skills to match. For that reason, they are sometimes considered to be "feathered apes," explain Brucks and study co-author Auguste von Bayern.

However, earlier studies showed that, despite their impressive social intelligence, crows don't help other crows. In their new study, Brucks and von Bayern wondered: what about parrots?

To find out, they enlisted several African grey parrots and blue-headed macaws. Both parrot species were eager to trade tokens with an experimenter for a nut treat. But, their findings show, only the African grey parrots were willing to transfer a token to a neighbor parrot, allowing the other individual to earn a nut reward.

"Remarkably, African grey parrots were intrinsically motivated to help others, even if the other individual was not their friend, so they behaved very 'prosocially,'" von Bayern says. "It surprised us that 7 out of 8 African grey parrots provided their partner with tokens spontaneously -- in their very first trial -- thus without having experienced the social setting of this task before and without knowing that they would be tested in the other role later on. Therefore, the parrots provided help without gaining any immediate benefits and seemingly without expecting reciprocation in return."

Importantly, she notes, the African grey parrots appeared to understand when their help was needed. When they could see the other parrot had an opportunity for exchange, they'd pass a token over. Otherwise, they wouldn't.

The parrots would help out whether the other individual was their "friend" or not, she adds. But, their relationship to the other individual did have some influence. When the parrot in need of help was a "friend," the helper transferred even more tokens.

The researchers suggest the difference between African greys and blue-headed macaws may relate to differences in their social organization in the wild. Despite those species differences, the findings show that helping behavior is not limited to humans and great apes but evolved independently also in birds.

It remains to be seen how widespread helping is across the 393 different parrot species and what factors may have led to its evolution. The researchers say that further studies are required to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the parrots' helping behavior. For instance, how do parrots tell when one of their peers needs help? And, what motivates them to respond?

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Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

African grey parrots spontaneously 'lend a wing'

African grey parrots (stock image).

People and other great apes are known for their willingness to help others in need, even strangers. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology on January 9 have shown for the first time that some birds -- and specifically African grey parrots -- are similarly helpful.

"We found that African grey parrots voluntarily and spontaneously help familiar parrots to achieve a goal, without obvious immediate benefit to themselves," says study co-author Désirée Brucks of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Germany.

Parrots and crows are known for having large brains relative to the size of their bodies and problem-solving skills to match. For that reason, they are sometimes considered to be "feathered apes," explain Brucks and study co-author Auguste von Bayern.

However, earlier studies showed that, despite their impressive social intelligence, crows don't help other crows. In their new study, Brucks and von Bayern wondered: what about parrots?

To find out, they enlisted several African grey parrots and blue-headed macaws. Both parrot species were eager to trade tokens with an experimenter for a nut treat. But, their findings show, only the African grey parrots were willing to transfer a token to a neighbor parrot, allowing the other individual to earn a nut reward.

"Remarkably, African grey parrots were intrinsically motivated to help others, even if the other individual was not their friend, so they behaved very 'prosocially,'" von Bayern says. "It surprised us that 7 out of 8 African grey parrots provided their partner with tokens spontaneously -- in their very first trial -- thus without having experienced the social setting of this task before and without knowing that they would be tested in the other role later on. Therefore, the parrots provided help without gaining any immediate benefits and seemingly without expecting reciprocation in return."

Importantly, she notes, the African grey parrots appeared to understand when their help was needed. When they could see the other parrot had an opportunity for exchange, they'd pass a token over. Otherwise, they wouldn't.

The parrots would help out whether the other individual was their "friend" or not, she adds. But, their relationship to the other individual did have some influence. When the parrot in need of help was a "friend," the helper transferred even more tokens.

The researchers suggest the difference between African greys and blue-headed macaws may relate to differences in their social organization in the wild. Despite those species differences, the findings show that helping behavior is not limited to humans and great apes but evolved independently also in birds.

It remains to be seen how widespread helping is across the 393 different parrot species and what factors may have led to its evolution. The researchers say that further studies are required to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the parrots' helping behavior. For instance, how do parrots tell when one of their peers needs help? And, what motivates them to respond?

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Cell Press. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.