Amazing video shows a group of cheeky seals lured by research equipment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Eight northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) have been filmed exploring, feeding and even sleeping at the remote spot in the underwater Barkley Canyon, more than 2,000 feet down.
The naturally curious marine mammals are likely being attracted by experts’ sonar device – technology that emits sound waves to measure distances.
Scientists became so familiar with the repeat visitors they named them after members of the Beach Boys, including Brian Wilson and his brothers Carl and Dennis.
It’s thought the seals keep coming back to the spot because the lights from an additional camera are bringing disturbed fish out of their hiding spots – making it a great spot for tasty morsels.
Pet Sounds: Here, ‘Brian’ the northern elephant seal peers at the camera as it’s lured by the range of underwater equipment in the Barkley Canyon
Scientists think the seals are being attracted by the sonar waves as well as the light emitted from the underwater cameras
Just like the famous Pavlov’s dog experiments, scientists think the seals are associating the vibrating waves of sound with food.
‘We suspect the seals have learned to associate sonar noise from the research instrument with the presence of food – a phenomenon known as the ‘dinner bell’ effect,’ said Dr Héloïse Frouin-Mouy, a visiting scientist at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.
‘[They] may take advantage of fish disturbed by the camera lights, particularly targeting sablefish, their preferred meal, as seen in the video footage.’
Northern elephant seals – found in the eastern and central North Pacific Ocean – forage at great depth where it is very dark, even during the day.
The sensitivity of their eyes to light is 10 times that of a human, but they also use their sensitive whiskers to detect motion in the water and track down prey.
Working with Ocean Networks Canada, the underwater set-up was intended to study the effects of light on fish and invertebrate behaviour along the Barkley Canyon, which is the location of stunning deep sea coral cliffs.
So they were pleasantly surprised to see the inquisitive visitors when reviewing the camera footage, acoustic images and sound data.
Overall, at least eight male elephant seals, ages 4 to 7, were observed on camera and detected by hydrophones – microphones for underwater use.
They were named Brian, Dennis, Carl, Mike, Al, Bruce, Blondie and David – referring to eight members of the Beach Boys from the band’s various line-ups.
Researchers became so familiar with the repeat visitors they named them after members of the Beach Boys
The Beach Boys in London, 1964. Clockwise from left – Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson and Mike Love
The animals made multiple visits to the 2,116-foot (645-metre) deep research site at Barkley Canyon off the British Columbia west coast between 2022 and 2023
The animals made multiple visits to the 2,116-foot (645-metre) deep research site at Barkley Canyon off the British Columbia west coast between 2022 and 2023.
In one instance, repeated visits over 10 days by four of the seals to the research site also demonstrate that they quickly learned to use the infrastructure to forage for food more efficiently, adds Frouin-Mouy.
‘We became familiar with the mammals and ended up naming them in the paper after members of the Beach Boys to differentiate between the frequency of visits and observed habits,’ she said.
The seals were also lured by additional bait traps – consisting of bottles loaded with sardines.
But video observations showed they primarily focused on actively swimming sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), while ignoring stationary or drifting prey.
The team also found that they produce low frequency sounds while foraging, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and even take ‘power naps’ on the seafloor.
The ability of seals to perform repeated visits to the same site over long periods (more than 10 days) was due to the noise generated by the sonar equipment
The site features a high-definition camera, acoustic imaging sonar, hydrophone, pair of LED lights and automatic bait release
As opportunistic feeders, elephant seals are believed to feed on bottom-dwelling marine animals such as ratfish, swell sharks, spiny dogfish, eels, rockfish and squid.
They spend the vast majority of their time in the open ocean – up to 5,000 miles offshore – and only come to shore twice each year to breed and molt.
From the 18th century, northern elephant seals were hunted extensively and the species was declared extinct in 1884.
Further populations were found, however, and they have been protected by law in Mexico and in the US since the early 20th century.
A study detailing the behaviour has been published in PLOS One.
