Transmission beam pattern and dynamics of a spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)

The Distinctive Forehead Cleft of the Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus) Hardly Affects Biosonar Beam Formation

The Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) has a distinctive vertical crease (or cleft) along the anterior surface of the forehead. Previous studies have speculated that the cleft may contribute to biosonar beam formation. To explore this, we constructed 2D finite element models based on computer tomography data of the head of a naturally deceased Risso's dolphin. The simulated acoustic near-field signals, far-field signals, and transmission beam patterns were compared to corresponding measurements from a live, echolocating Risso's dolphin. To investigate the effect of the cleft, we filled the cleft with neighboring soft tissues in our model, creating a hypothetical "cleftless" forehead, as found in other odontocetes. We compared the acoustic pressure field and the beam pattern between the clefted and cleftless cases. Our results suggest that the cleft plays an insignificant role in forehead biosonar sound propagation and far-field beam formation. Furthermore, the cleft was not responsible for the bimodal click spectrum recorded and reported from this species.

Identification of western North Atlantic odontocete echolocation click types using machine learning and spatiotemporal correlates

A combination of machine learning and expert analyst review was used to detect odontocete echolocation clicks, identify dominant click types, and classify clicks in 32 years of acoustic data collected at 11 autonomous monitoring sites in the western North Atlantic between 2016 and 2019. Previously-described click types for eight known odontocete species or genera were identified in this data set: Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris), Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), Gervais' beaked whales (Mesoplodon europaeus), Sowerby's beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens), and True's beaked whales (Mesoplodon mirus), Kogia spp., Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Six novel delphinid echolocation click types were identified and named according to their median peak frequencies. Consideration of the spatiotemporal distribution of these unidentified click types, and comparison to historical sighting data, enabled assignment of the probable species identity to three of the six types, and group identity to a fourth type. UD36, UD26, and UD28 were attributed to Risso's dolphin (G. griseus), short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus), and short-beaked common dolphin (D. delphis), respectively, based on similar regional distributions and seasonal presence patterns. UD19 was attributed to one or more species in the subfamily Globicephalinae based on spectral content and signal timing. UD47 and UD38 represent distinct types for which no clear spatiotemporal match was apparent. This approach leveraged the power of big acoustic and big visual data to add to the catalog of known species-specific acoustic signals and yield new inferences about odontocete spatiotemporal distribution patterns. The tools and call types described here can be used for efficient analysis of other existing and future passive acoustic data sets from this region.

Echolocating Daubenton's bats call louder, but show no spectral jamming avoidance in response to bands of masking noise during a landing task

Echolocating bats listen for weak echoes to navigate and hunt, which makes them prone to masking from background noise and jamming from other bats and prey. Like for electrical fish that display clear spectral jamming avoidance responses (JAR), some studies have reported that bats mitigate the effects of jamming by shifting the spectral contents of their calls, thereby reducing acoustic interference to improve echo-to-noise ratios (ENR). Here we test the hypothesis that FM bats employ a spectral JAR in response to six masking noise-bands ranging from 15-90kHz, by measuring the -3dB endpoints and peak frequency of echolocation calls from five male Daubenton's bats (Myotis daubentonii) during a landing task. The bats were trained to land on a noise generating spherical transducer surrounded by a star-shaped microphone array, allowing for acoustic localization and source parameter quantification of on-axis calls. We show that the bats did not employ spectral JAR as the peak frequency during jamming remained unaltered compared to silent controls (all P>0.05, 60.73±0.96 kHz) (mean±s.e.m.), and -3dB endpoints decreased in noise irrespective of treatment-type. Instead, Daubenton's bats responded to acoustic jamming by increasing call amplitude via a Lombard response that was bandwidth dependent ranging from 0.05 [0.04-0.06 mean±95% CI] dB/dB noise for the most narrowband (15-30 kHz) to 0.17 [0.16-0.18] dB/dB noise for the most broadband noise (30-90 kHz). We conclude that Daubenton's bats, despite the vocal flexibility to do so, do not employ a spectral JAR, but defend ENRs via a bandwidth dependent Lombard response.

Echolocation click parameters of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) in the wild

Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) are large, deep-diving predators with diverse foraging strategies, but little is known about their echolocation. To quantify the source properties of short-finned pilot whale clicks, we made 15 deployments off the coast of Tenerife of a deep-water hydrophone array consisting of seven autonomous time-synced hydrophone recorders (SoundTraps), enabling acoustic localization and quantification of click source parameters. Of 8185 recorded pilot whale clicks, 47 were classified as being recorded on-axis, with a mean peak-to-peak source level (SL) of 181 ± 7 dB re 1 μPa, a centroid frequency of 40 ± 4 kHz, and a duration of 57 ± 23 μs. A fit to a piston model yielded an estimated half-power (-3 dB) beam width of 13.7° [95% confidence interval (CI) 13.2°-14.5°] and a mean directivity index (DI) of 22.6 dB (95% CI 22.5-22.9 dB). These measured SLs and DIs are surprisingly low for a deep-diving toothed whale, suggesting we sampled the short-finned pilot whales in a context with little need for operating a long-range biosonar. The substantial spectral overlap with beaked whale clicks emitted in similar deep-water habitats implies that pilot whale clicks may constitute a common source of false detections in beaked whale passive acoustic monitoring efforts.