Bearded seal males perceive geographic variation in their trills

Geographic variation in animal vocalisations, ranging from micro- to macro-variations, has now been widely documented. These dialects can impair communication between separated groups or populations and thus may play a role in speciation processes. Although the existence of geographical variation has been already shown in some pinnipeds species, the extent to which individuals perceive it is poorly understood. Here, we studied this question in the bearded seal Erignatus barbatus, a species found across different arctic regions. As in other phocids, bearded seal males emit sophisticated acoustic displays while defending an aquatic territory during the breeding season. First, we used playbacks to demonstrate that the trill has a function in territorial defence. Second, we used synthetic trills from two distinct populations (Nunavut and Greenland), to show that bearded seal males perceived the geographic variation in the trills. Males from Greenland responded more strongly to trills from local males than those from a distant area (Nunavut). This study provides the first experimental evidence that phocid males can perceive geographic variation in their vocalisations. Acoustic analyses combined with playback experiments can help to identify distinct populations in bearded seals. This may then provide information on both strength and scale of breeding site fidelity in this and potentially other species.