Ear to the Wild: Adult Female Elephant Seal Sounds

Adult female elephant seals make a number of different sounds. Marine Ecologist Sarah Codde says, “So, you can hear that softer sound she makes is to her pup… And then you can hear that different sound when she’s angry… It’s much deeper and has that, kind of, aggressive sound.” Adult female elephant seals make a number of different sounds. Here’s Marine Ecologist Sarah Codde. “So, you can hear that softer sound she makes is to her pup… And then you can hear kind of that different sound when she’s angry… It’s much like, deeper and, you know, has that kind of aggressive sound. Where this is, we call, warbling, and it’s just this kind of nice soft call to get her pup’s attention.” “Ha, ha, ha… ahh, those pups! I wonder what they’re saying?" asks Hines. “Right…” said Codde. “Uh, ‘I’m hungry’ I guess,” she adds. “I think so!" replied Hines. Adult female elephant seals at Drake’s Beach, with Sarah Codde. Thanks for lending an Ear to the Wild. I’m Jack Hines. For more information, please visit eartothewild.com Elephant seal monitoring activities at Point Reyes National Seashore are authorized under National Marine Fisheries Service Permit Number 27424.