15.03.2022 Nicolas Mathevon

While social status in an elephant seal colony is established through fighting at the beginning of the breeding season, the social hierarchy is maintained by ritualized displays that include loud vocalizations. In this talk, we will discuss what information is encoded in the call of male elephant seals, how these acoustic signals help males choose appropriate behavioral strategies that allow them to navigate in their social system, and when these appropriate acoustic signals emerge during individual development.