If you thought nursery rhymes belonged to humans, think again. In the icy waters of Antarctica, male leopard seals spend hours singing elaborate melodies that sound like something between a sci-fi soundtrack and a children’s song. Scientists say these underwater performances are so intricate they’ve compared them not just to whale songs, but even to the works of the Beatles and Mozart.

Songs from the deep

During breeding season, males dive beneath the Antarctic ice and sing for up to 13 hours a day. Each “performance” lasts about two minutes before the animal resurfaces for air, only to dive again and repeat the cycle. According to a study published in Scientific Reports, every seal works with the same five “notes.” But just like human musicians, each individual arranges them differently to create a unique song.

Lead author Lucinda Chambers, a bioacoustics researcher at the University of New South Wales, explained it this way: “It’s almost like they’re shouting their names into the void.” These songs help males attract females while warning rivals to stay away.

The nightingales of the Southern Ocean

Researchers liken these animals to the “nightingales of the sea.” Tracey Rogers, a co-author of the study, said that dropping a hydrophone anywhere in the region during breeding season will likely pick up a chorus of these unusual voices. The recordings, collected from 26 leopard seals in the 1990s, still astonish scientists with their clarity and variety.

What makes the songs stand out is their balance of complexity and simplicity. Chambers noted that while they are less unpredictable than humpback whale songs or dolphin whistles, they are also more structured than many forms of human music. They fall, she said, “into the zone of nursery rhymes” — easy enough for the animals to remember and repeat, but distinct enough to mark each male’s identity.

A voice built for distance

Leopard seals are solitary predators, roaming vast stretches of Antarctic waters. Scientists believe their vocal patterns evolved to travel long distances across the ocean. Varying pitch or frequency wouldn’t carry as effectively, but repeating structured melodies does the job.

Interestingly, females sometimes sing too, though the purpose remains a mystery. Some experts suspect it could be a way to teach pups, while others think it may serve as communication between females.

Nature’s unexpected composers

While leopard seals are feared as apex predators, these haunting songs remind us they’re also performers in nature’s orchestra. With their ability to sing for hours on end, blending structure and improvisation, they’ve earned their unlikely comparison to classical music legends.

It’s a reminder that the natural world isn’t just about survival — sometimes, it’s also about art.