Elephant Seals Off BC Coast Used Sonar Equipment as ‘Dinner Bell’: Researchers

Elephant Seals Off BC Coast Used Sonar Equipment as ‘Dinner Bell’: Researchers
A northern elephant seal forages near an Ocean Networks Canada research instrument in the Barkley Canyon, 645 metres deep off the British Columbia coast as shown in this undated handout image. The Canadian Press/HO-Ocean Networks Canada
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Scientists said new research shows how northern elephant seals used sonar from a deep sea research facility off the British Columbia coast like a “dinner bell” as they hunted for prey.

University of Victoria researchers said their study provides a rare glimpse into the species’ underwater behaviour, as the animals learned to associate sonar noise from the research instruments, 645 metres deep, with the presence of food.