Do Pinnipeds Vocalize?

I wrote before about some differences about Seals and Sea Lions. There is one big difference between Seals and Sea Lions that I forgot to write about, which is that Sea Lions like to vocalize and Seals are generally quiet.

Sea Lions are extroverts.  They talk all of the time.  For example, when I was at the Bronx Zoo we could always here the California Sea Lions vocalizing. From what I have observed, Steller Sea Lions are not as talkative as California Sea Lions, but it does not take a long amount of time to hear them when you observe them in an aquarium.  If you want to hear what a California Sea Lion sounds like, click on this link to the Marine Mammal Center:  http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/california-sea-lion/#sounds

There is a time when Seals do vocalize a lot.  Mother Seals can recognize the individual cries of her little Pupper, and the little Pupper will reply.  As they call back and forth, the Mother is able to find her little Pupper.

Pinnipeds can vocalize under the water.  According to the book "Seals Of the World" by Judith E. King, the vocalization could be used as echolocation to locate food or avoid underwater obstacles.  You can hear various Pinniped underwater vocalizations at this link:  https://dosits.org/galleries/audio-gallery/marine-mammals/pinnipeds/

Walruses can make a surprisingly large number of sounds to include whistling, as you can hear in this YouTube video:



If you need to hear 10 hours of Walrus, go to this YouTube link:


And of course, no post on Pinniped vocalizations is complete without mentioning the infamous Egg:



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