Abstract
Underwater audiograms are available for a few pinnipeds from the families otariidae and phocidae, but little is known about hearing abilities in the monachid seals. A young male Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) was trained at Sea Life Park on Oahu, Hawaii for an underwater hearing test using a go/no-go response paradigm. Over a 6-month period, auditory thresholds from 2 to 48 kHz were measured using an up/down staircase psychometric technique. The resulting audiogram shows a somewhat narrower hearing range than for other pinnipeds. The monk seal’s hearing was most sensitive (20 dB above maximum sensitivity) between 12 and 28 kHz. Below 8 kHz, the Hawaiian monk seal’s hearing was less sensitive than other pinnipeds measured. High-frequency sensitivity dropped off sharply above 30 kHz, as has been reported for other otariids, Callorhinus and Zalophus. Phocid seals, Phoca hispida, P. groenlandica, and P. vitulina, have a broader hearing range with the upper limit near 60 kHz.
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