Why are seals tracked?Updated 5 months ago

Elephant seals are tracked with electronic instruments for a variety of reasons, including where they travel and feed during their foraging migrations, how they expertly navigate through the ocean, how much they are able to eat during foraging trips, how they avoid predators like white sharks and killer whales, and even how they sleep. 

The elephant seal tracks researchers have shared with Fahlo are also helping scientists learn how these behavioral strategies are different between male and female seals, and how they develop as seals grow older. In recent years, elephant seals have helped scientists understand more about the ocean environment by carrying tags that collect information about chlorophyll content, dissolved oxygen, light levels, and the distribution of small fish and squid in the twilight zone (200–1000 meters deep) of the ocean. All of these metrics of ocean health provide valuable insight into the distribution and abundance of important resources that large predators like elephant seals rely on.