Cape and Australian fur seals show dramatic increases in heart rate hours after returning to land, according to new research. The surges may help the animals recover from the physical stress of prolonged underwater foraging.
A study published in Frontiers in Physiology tracked heart rates in twelve female seals from two species. Researchers fitted the animals with monitors between 2003 and 2008 at sites in South Africa and Australia. Data revealed that heart rates often doubled six to eight hours after the seals came ashore, reaching peaks of 84 beats per minute before settling into a calmer range associated with rest.