Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:

Mother's voice recognition by seal pups

Nature volume 412, page 873 (2001)Cite this article

Newborns need to learn their mother's call before she can take off on a fishing trip.

Access through your institution
Buy or subscribe

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access through your institution

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: A subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) mother on her return from a foraging sea trip.

References

  1. Hofer, M. A. in Parental Care in Mammals (eds Gubernick, D. J. & Klopfer, P. H.) 77–115 (Plenum, New York, 1981).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Addae, P. C., Awotwi, E. K., Oppong-Anane, K. & Oddoye, E. O. K. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 67, 77–88 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Insley, S. J. Nature 406, 404–405 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kerley, G. I. H. J. Zool. Lond. 205, 315–324 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Georges, J. Y. & Guinet, C. Ecology 81, 295–308 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Riedman, M. The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses (Univ. California Press, Berkeley, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Roux, J. P. & Jouventin, P. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 51, 95–102 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Stirling, I. J. Austr. Mam. Soc. 1, 389–391 (1975).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Jones, I. L., Falls, J. B. & Gaston, A. J. Anim. Behav. 35, 1405–1415 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Georges, J. Y. & Guinet, C. J. Zool. Lond. 251, 277–287 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Gentry, R. L. & Kooyman, G. L. Fur Seals: Maternal Strategies on Land and at Sea (Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, 1986).

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biologie Animale, Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, 42023 cedex 2, France

    Isabelle Charrier & Nicolas Mathevon

  2. CEFE CNRS UPR 9056, Montpellier, 34213, France

    Isabelle Charrier & Pierre Jouventin

  3. NAMC CNRS UMR 8620, Orsay, 91400, France

    Nicolas Mathevon

Authors
  1. Isabelle Charrier
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nicolas Mathevon
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pierre Jouventin
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicolas Mathevon.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Charrier, I., Mathevon, N. & Jouventin, P. Mother's voice recognition by seal pups. Nature 412, 873 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35091136

Download citation

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35091136

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing