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Sea lions and fur seals do not share one universal hearing range. Their detected frequencies vary by species, individual, test method, and whether the sound travels through air or water. Published measurements show northern fur seals detecting frequencies to approximately 36 kHz in air and 40 kHz underwater, while a California sea lion showed its greatest underwater sensitivity across 1–28 kHz, with a peak at 16 kHz. A 2026 study of two Australian sea lions found greatest in-air sensitivity at 3.2 kHz, but the equipment could not test above 20 kHz, so that study did not establish an upper limit.
Those figures describe particular animals in particular experiments. They should not be treated as a fixed limit for every animal called a sea lion or fur seal.
The measured findings at a glance
The clearest way to compare the available evidence is to separate species, acoustic medium, and what the experiment actually measured. A frequency of greatest sensitivity is not the same as an outer hearing limit, and a response to a very loud tone does not prove normal sensitivity at that frequency.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →| Animal and study | Test medium and sample | Reported result | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian sea lions, study authors, 2026 | Air; two adult females | Greatest sensitivity at 3.2 kHz; thresholds of 13 and 14 dB re 20 µPa; 20 dB best-sensitivity bandwidths of 600 Hz–9 kHz for one animal and approximately 600 Hz to at least 20 kHz for the other | The apparatus stopped testing at 20 kHz, so the upper cutoff was not measured |
| California sea lion, Schusterman, Balliet, and Nixon, 1971 | Underwater audiogram | Range of maximal sensitivity from 1–28 kHz, with best sensitivity at 16 kHz; sufficiently intense tones produced responses as high as 192 kHz | The experiment tested 13 frequencies between 250 Hz and 64 kHz; the very high-frequency responses were to intense sounds, not the normal sensitive range |
| Northern fur seals, Moore and Schusterman, 1987 | Air and underwater; two young females | Upper frequency limits of approximately 36 kHz in air and 40 kHz underwater | The same study also tested one young female California sea lion; the limits are approximate findings for the tested animals |
| Northern fur seals, Moore and Schusterman, 1987 | Air; comparison interval | Greater airborne sensitivity than the other pinnipeds tested from 500 Hz–32 kHz | This is a relative result within that experiment, not a direct air-versus-water threshold comparison |
| NOAA review, 2003 | Review of otariid evidence | Underwater peak sensitivities are generally around 15–30 kHz, with upper frequencies around 35–40 kHz; aerial peak sensitivity is shifted below 10 kHz | These are review-level generalizations, not limits measured in every sea lion or fur seal species |
Frequency range and hearing sensitivity are different
“What frequencies can an animal hear?” can mean at least three different things. An upper hearing limit is the highest frequency at which an experiment established a response. A best-sensitivity frequency is where the animal detected tones most readily. A bandwidth of best sensitivity describes the span over which thresholds stayed close to the animal’s most sensitive threshold.
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An audiogram plots detection threshold against frequency. Lower thresholds indicate that the animal can detect a quieter tone under the test conditions. Thresholds rise toward the edges of the audiogram, so an animal can sometimes respond to a tone outside its most sensitive band if that tone is sufficiently loud.
That distinction explains the California sea lion result. Its normal underwater sensitivity was concentrated in a much lower band than the highest frequency that produced a laboratory response. The high-frequency response shows that intense sound could be detected; it does not make that frequency part of the animal’s ordinary, most sensitive hearing range.
What Australian sea lions hear in air
The newest species-specific example in the available evidence is a 2026 in-air study of two adult female Australian sea lions. Both animals were most sensitive at 3.2 kHz, and their measured thresholds at that frequency were 13 and 14 dB re 20 µPa.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTheir best-sensitivity bandwidths were not identical. One extended from 600 Hz to 9 kHz. The other extended from approximately 600 Hz to at least 20 kHz. “At least” is important: the testing system could not generate or measure frequencies above 20 kHz for that experiment. The result therefore cannot tell us whether the second animal’s hearing declines immediately above 20 kHz, continues farther, or reaches a different upper cutoff.
These results also come from only two adult females. They establish useful measurements for those individuals, but they do not define every Australian sea lion, every age group, or every animal tested in water. The study was conducted in air, so its thresholds should not be presented as underwater performance.
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What California sea lions hear underwater
The 1971 underwater audiogram by Schusterman, Balliet, and Nixon placed the California sea lion’s range of maximal sensitivity between 1 and 28 kHz, with the best sensitivity at 16 kHz. The researchers sampled 13 frequencies from 250 Hz through 64 kHz, giving the audiogram coverage across both lower and higher tones.
The same work reported responses to tones as high as 192 kHz when the sounds were sufficiently intense. That finding is easy to misread. It is evidence of a response under demanding laboratory sound levels, not evidence that California sea lions normally hear that frequency as well as they hear tones near their sensitivity peak. For practical descriptions, the maximal-sensitivity band and the best-sensitivity frequency are the more meaningful figures.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Because this was an underwater measurement, its thresholds belong to an underwater acoustic setup. They cannot be converted into an air-hearing claim simply by copying the frequencies, and the decibel reference used in water differs from the reference used for airborne sound.
What northern fur seals hear in air and underwater
Moore and Schusterman’s 1987 study tested two young female northern fur seals and reported approximate upper frequency limits of 36 kHz in air and 40 kHz underwater. On that specific measure, the underwater limit was slightly higher.
The study also found that, from 500 Hz to 32 kHz, northern fur seals were more sensitive to airborne sounds than the other pinnipeds included in that comparison. That statement is about relative sensitivity within the experiment. It does not mean that an air threshold can be compared numerically with an underwater threshold without accounting for pressure references, calibration, and the acoustic conditions in each medium.
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The small sample matters. Two young females cannot establish one upper limit for all northern fur seals, nor can their result be extended automatically to South American, Antarctic, or other fur seal species.
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Why air and underwater results differ
Sound pressure behaves differently in air and water, and hearing tests are calibrated separately for those media. The reference pressure used for an airborne threshold is not the same as the reference used for an underwater threshold. As a result, a pair of decibel values from air and water is not automatically an apples-to-apples loudness comparison.
The medium can also change which frequencies are most useful or easiest to detect. The available measurements show a general pattern: aerial otariid sensitivity is shifted toward lower frequencies, while underwater peak sensitivity is commonly reported higher. The NOAA review’s otariid summary places underwater peaks around 15–30 kHz and aerial peaks below 10 kHz, but those ranges summarize published evidence rather than defining every species.
The safest conclusion is therefore qualitative: sea lions and fur seals hear in both media, but their sensitivity profile changes with the medium, and each numerical result must stay attached to the species and experiment that produced it.
Can sea lions hear underwater?
Yes. The California sea lion audiogram was measured underwater, and the northern fur seal study reported an underwater upper limit. Those experiments directly demonstrate underwater tone detection rather than inferring it from airborne hearing.
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“Can hear underwater” does not answer how loud a sound must be, how far away its source can be, or whether the animal hears every frequency equally well. Detection depends on the animal’s threshold at that frequency, the source level, background noise, and the acoustic conditions of the test or habitat. The studies summarized here measured frequency sensitivity, not a universal communication distance.
Do fur seals hear better underwater?
There is no single yes-or-no answer that applies to every fur seal and every frequency. In the northern fur seal measurements, the reported upper limit was approximately 40 kHz underwater versus approximately 36 kHz in air. That indicates a somewhat higher measured high-frequency limit underwater for the tested animals.
At the same time, the study reported strong airborne sensitivity across its 500 Hz–32 kHz comparison interval. Since air and underwater thresholds use different acoustic references and conditions, the evidence does not support declaring one medium universally “better.” It supports a medium-dependent hearing profile.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can sea lions and fur seals hear ultrasound?
Ultrasound is commonly used for frequencies above the approximate upper limit of human hearing, about 20 kHz. The measured otariid results reach into that region, but the interpretation differs by study.
- The northern fur seal upper limits near the high 30-kilohertz range indicate detection above 20 kHz in both tested media.
- The California sea lion produced responses to very intense tones far above the frequency range where its underwater sensitivity was greatest. That is a response capability under test conditions, not evidence of equal sensitivity across the entire high-frequency region.
- The Australian sea lion in-air study cannot establish an ultrasonic cutoff because its equipment stopped at 20 kHz.
It is therefore accurate to say that some tested sea lions and fur seals detected frequencies above 20 kHz, but inaccurate to assign one ultrasonic range to all otariids.
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How far can a sea lion or fur seal hear?
Frequency data do not provide a distance. An audiogram tells you which tones an animal detects and the threshold required in the test setup; it does not state a maximum number of meters or kilometers.
A distance estimate would require additional information, including the source’s acoustic output, frequency spectrum, propagation path, background noise, water depth or atmospheric conditions, and the animal’s threshold in that environment. None of the cited measurements establishes a universal hearing distance, so a claim such as “a sea lion can hear a call from X miles away” cannot be derived from these frequency limits alone.
How these studies should be interpreted
Species and individual variation
Sea lions and fur seals are groups of related otariid species, not one acoustically identical animal. The evidence includes two adult female Australian sea lions, two young female northern fur seals, and a California sea lion tested in a separate experiment. Age, sex, individual condition, training history, and species can all affect the result.
Behavioral audiometry
Behavioral audiometry trains an animal to respond when it detects a tone. The result reflects the animal’s hearing together with its perception, motivation, response rule, and the test environment. It is a direct way to measure functional detection, but it is not the same as measuring a single mechanical property of the ear.
Equipment limits
A test can establish only what its equipment and design cover. The Australian sea lion apparatus reached 20 kHz, so the observed high end of one animal’s bandwidth is a testing ceiling rather than a biological cutoff. Approximate limits in the older northern fur seal work should likewise be reported with the precision the authors provided, not expanded into unsupported exact values.
Comparing decibels across media
Airborne and underwater thresholds use different reference pressures and acoustic calibrations. A direct numerical ranking of an air threshold against an underwater threshold is misleading unless those measurement details are supplied. Comparing the tested frequency bands and the direction of the reported findings is more defensible for a general audience.
Practical answer for common questions
- What sounds can they hear? Tested sea lions and fur seals detect low-kilohertz sounds through frequencies in the tens of kilohertz, with the exact range varying by species and medium.
- Do they hear underwater? Yes; underwater audiograms and underwater fur seal tests directly demonstrate detection.
- Is 192 kHz a California sea lion’s normal range? No. It was a response to sufficiently intense tones, outside the animal’s reported maximal-sensitivity band.
- Is 20 kHz the Australian sea lion’s upper limit? No. It was the ceiling of the 2026 test equipment, so the biological upper limit remains undetermined by that study.
- Can one number describe all sea lions and fur seals? No. The published measurements come from particular species, individuals, media, and methods.
Bottom line
Sea lions and fur seals hear a broad but species-specific range of frequencies. Northern fur seals were measured to approximately 36 kHz in air and 40 kHz underwater, while a California sea lion was most sensitive underwater from 1–28 kHz with a peak at 16 kHz. Australian sea lions tested in air were most sensitive at 3.2 kHz, but their upper limit was not determined. Treat every figure as an audiometric result tied to its species, sample, medium, and test conditions—not as a universal hearing specification for all otariids.
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