Shabangu, Fannie WelcomeHofmeyr, Gordon John GregoryProbert, RachelConnan, MaelleBuhrmann, Corrine A.Gridley, Tess2023-02-272023Fannie W. Shabangu, G. J. Greg Hofmeyr, Rachel Probert, Maëlle Connan, Corrine A. Buhrmann & Tess Gridley (2023) In-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of wild juvenile crabeater seals during rehabilitation, Bioacoustics, 32:3, 261-283, DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2022.2108145.0952-462210.1080/09524622.2022.2108145https://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/89858In-air sounds of pinnipeds are important for interactions with conspecifics and threat displays. However, little is known about the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga. We investigated the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of two male and one female wild juvenile crabeater seals that beached separately, and were rehabilitated in Durban and Gqeberha, South Africa. In-air sounds were visually identified and categorised into five classes validated via random forest model classification: brief, intermediate, and long moan calls, croaks, and hisses. Hisses were common (n = 25,105 sounds from 136 hrs of acoustic recordings) and detected during heightened arousal states and interactions with animal care staff and a conspecific. Furthermore, hisses were also recorded in low arousal states during exhalation. Moan calls (n = 241) were only detected from two of the three seals. During rehabilitation, the female seal ceased producing moan calls and later produced a series of croaks (n = 204). Acoustic characteristics of in-air moan calls differed from published underwater moan calls according to duration, minimum, and maximum frequencies, and pulse repetition rate. Our study shows that the in-air acoustic repertoire and associated behaviour of these Antarctic seals are dynamic, vary inter-individually and are context dependent.en© 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an electronic version of an article published in Bioacoustics, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 261-283, 2023. doi : 10.1080/09524622.2022.2108145. Bioacoustics is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.comtoc/tbio20.Acoustic behaviourCrabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga)Antarctic pinnipedsAcoustic repertoireIn-air soundsSouth Africa (SA)Postprint Article