Caller identification and characterization of individual humpback whale acoustic behaviour.

ABSTRACT: Acoustic recording tags provide fine-scale data linking acoustic signalling with individual behaviour; however, when an animal is in a group, it is challenging to tease apart calls of conspecifics and identify which individuals produce each call. This, in turn, prohibits a robust assessment of individual acoustic behaviour including call rates and silent periods, call bout production within and between individuals, and caller location. To overcome this challenge, we simultaneously instrumented small groups of humpback whales on a western North Atlantic feeding ground with sound and movement recording tags. This approach enabled a comparison of the relative amplitude of each call across individuals to infer caller identity for 97% of calls. We recorded variable call rates across individuals

SUBMITTER: Zeh JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10933536 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature