Seal caught clapping underwater … and scientists flip out

Whales serenade each other across thousands of miles, while dolphins call out other's "names" using signature whistles. Now, scientists have spotted gray seals using yet another form of underwater communication: surprisingly loud clapping.

Researchers caught footage of a male gray seal swimming near the Farne Islands in northeast England and slapping its flippers together to produce a "sharp, snap-like sound." The discovery, published Jan. 31 in the journal Marine Mammal Science, marks the first time a seal has been recorded exhibiting the behavior in the wild, unprompted by training or treats from zookeepers.

"The clap was incredibly loud and at first I found it hard to believe what I had seen," co-author Ben Burville, a visiting researcher studying marine biology at Newcastle University in the U.K., said in a statement. "How could a seal make such a loud clap underwater with no air to compress between its flippers?"

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(Image: Dr. Ben Burville)

Scientists don't yet know whether any creature besides the gray seal could be caught clapping beneath the waves.

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After 17 years spent trying to catch a glimpse of a seal clapping its flippers in the wild, seal diver Dr. Ben Burville, a researcher at Newcastle University, has captured the special moment underwater in footage released on Monday.

Whereas captive animals are often trained to clap for human entertainment - this grey seal is seen doing it freely in a natural environment, making this a special moment previously unseen in the wild. The footage was filmed near the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland.

These marine mammals primarily communicate vocally, and make percussive sounds, such as slapping water with flippers or tails at the surface, involving only one flipper at a time. However in this footage, the grey seal is seen clapping flippers no less than seven times. Scientists believe male seals clap to ward off competitors and to attract mates.

Oh my goodness, he is SO CUTE!