![]() Results of this study demonstrate the ability of an animal-mounted sound source to elicit behavioral responses in free-ranging individuals. ![]() All 8 exposures during dives in which maximum dive depth was limited by bathymetry were characterized by increased flow noise in the audio recordings following exposure, indicating increased swim speed. Exposures received during the descending dive phase resulted in increased descent rates in 9 of 10 exposures. Dive inversions following exposure were 4–11 times larger than non-exposure inversions. Responses during the ascending dive phase consisted of a dive inversion, or sustained reversal from ascending to descending (8 of 9 exposures). ![]() However, no pattern was found in the occurrence and types of response compared to stimulus type. Results indicate behavioral responses were elicited in tagged individuals. We developed and conducted pilot field trials of a prototype tag on five juvenile northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, using experimental exposures to both natural and anthropogenic noise stimuli. Integrating the sound source within animal-mounted passive acoustic and motion-sensing tags provides a novel tool for conducting additional highly controlled response studies. ![]() Current behavioral response studies typically utilize ship-based sound sources to study potential acute behavioral responses in tagged animals experimentally exposed to noise. New research tools are needed to better measure and understand the potential effects of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals. Observed impacts range in severity from brief interruptions of basic life functions to physiological changes, acute injury, and even death. There is a variety of evidence that increased anthropogenic noise (e.g., shipping, explosions, sonar) has a measureable effect on marine mammal species.
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