5 February 2026: A new study on the diving behaviour of ringed seals

A new study by Schiøtt and colleagues, titled “Recaptured ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in Greenland show diving patterns indicative of a behaviour related to daylight”, was published in the journal Polar Biology in January 2026.

Fish species like arctic cod and capelin perform seasonal and daily migrations from the water surface to deeper waters, following their zooplankton prey, which is in turn influenced by the availability of sunlight. These fish serve as food to larger predators, like the ringed seal, whose diving behaviour was thought to be likely influenced by the migration of these fish up and down the water column.

To shed some light on this, Schiøtt and colleagues analysed ringed seal diving behaviour by tagging them with satellite loggers, which record high-resolution depth data. The tagged seals included a juvenile male and an adult female, both tagged in West Greenland, and an adult female, tagged in Southeast Greenland. Then, the researchers compared the seal diving data with that of local fish species, collected through acoustic surveys, to check for similarities.

The two adult seals showed a clear pattern in their diving behaviour throughout the day, very similar to that exhibited by capelin, suggesting the adult seals dive to specific depths during daylight hours to target this prey. On the other hand, the juvenile seal displayed a somewhat random diving behaviour. The results indicate that ringed seals present a complex, adaptive diving behaviour, learned with age, which aligns with the availability of their prey.

You can read the full article by Schiøtt et al. HERE!

Photo credit: Fernando Ugarte.