Under Antarctica's ice, Weddell seals produce ultrasonic vocalizations EUGENE, Ore. -- Dec. 21, 2020 -- Weddell seals are chirping, whistling and trilling under Antarctica's ice at sound frequencies that are inaudible to humans, according to a research team led by University of Oregon biologists. Two years of recordings at a live-streaming underwater observatory in McMurdo Sound have captured nine types of tonal ultrasonic seal vocalizations that reach to 50 kilohertz. Humans hear in the sonic range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, or 20 kilohertz. The discovery is detailed in a paper published online ...