New publication: Feel the beat: Cape fur seal males encode their arousal state in their bark rate

[Mathilde Martin <>]

Dear all,

On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to inform you our new publication in The Science of Nature "Feel the beat: Cape fur seal males encode their arousal state in their bark rate"

Mathilde Martin, Tess Gridley, Simon Harvey Elwen, Isabelle Charrier

Abstract: The cape fur seal is one of the most colonial mammal species in the world. Breeding colonies are composed of harems
held by mature males (older than 10 years) with up to 30 females and their pups, while roaming subadult males (younger
and socially immature) are kept away from bulls’ territories. As in other pinnipeds, cape fur seals are highly vocal and use
acoustic signals in all their social interactions. Males produce barks—short vocalizations always produced in sequences—for
territorial defense, mating behaviors, and agonistic interactions. These calls convey information about the sex, age class, and
individual identity. This study investigated whether motivational cues such as the arousal state can be encoded in territorial
males’ barks and whether these cues are decoded by listening sub-adult males. The rate (number of calls per unit of time)
and fundamental frequency of barks were found to significantly increase during high arousal state interactions (i.e., malemale
confrontation) compared to spontaneous barks. Playback experiments revealed that subadult males responded with a
higher level of vigilance when territorial males’ barks had a faster bark rate. This mechanism of decoding the bulls’ arousal
state from barks will likely constitute an advantage for both bulls and the subadult males, by avoiding or reducing physical
conflicts, and thereby reducing energy expenditure and the risk of injury. This study is the first experimental evidence of
cape fur seals’ using vocal rhythmic patterns to modulate their social interactions.

Here is the link to a view-only version of our paper: https://rdcu.be/cC2Vu

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions,

Best regards,

-- 
Mathilde MARTIN
PhD Student

Acoustic Communications Team, Department Cognition & Network Neuroscience
NeuroPSI - Paris-Saclay Institute of Neuroscience
151 rue de la Rotonde, 91400 Saclay, FRANCE
https://neuropsi.cnrs.fr

Tel: +33 (0)1 69 82 63 56
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Website: 
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