Very little is known about the evolution of Arctic ringed seals, in particular, ecological constraints on social organization and foraging strategies. These most northern ice-adapted seals live and breed in the fast ice, an environment that usually restricts learning about their ecology and behavior. But, because of their habitat, ringed seals are also constrained to forage within the range of their breath-hold from a fixed breathing hold. Dr. Wartzok proposes to investigate aspects of social organization, diving behavior and foraging patterns of these seals. Dr. Wartzok who recently developed a electronic tracking system will follow the movements of ringed seals as they interact and forage under the ice. Seals, captured at their breathing holes using a triggered pursing net, will have acoustic pingers and radio frequency transmitters glued to their fur and then released. Continuous data will be recorded on their under-ice movements and their use of breathing holes and lairs. The data will be used to evaluate hypotheses concerning territoriality, territory size, sharing of breathing holes, role of vocalizations in territory maintenance, diving patterns, and presumed foraging activities including depths and diurnal patterns. This study should contribute significantly to our understanding of the social organization and foraging strategies of ringed seals.
