Killer whale call detection rates vary among subspecies and populations in the North Pacific.

ABSTRACT: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the North Pacific have diverged into subspecies with distinct diets, social structures, and vocal behaviors. Understanding the rate at which killer whales of different subspecies vocalize provides insight into their communication with conspecifics as well as the environmental factors shaping vocalization patterns. Estimating a population's calling rate can also enable the number of animals present to be estimated acoustically. We used killer whale dialects, long-term photo-identification records, and year-round autonomous acoustic data across multiple locations to estimate call detection rates during vocal bouts for three killer whale populations, one resident (fish-eating) and two transient (mammal-eating). We focused on call detection rates, or the number

SUBMITTER: Myers HJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12219761 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature