Assessing the effectiveness of acoustic signals in mark-recapture studies to estimate dolphins' population size.

ABSTRACT: Accurate estimations of animal population size are pivotal for implementing management strategies properly. Recapture technique based on sounds as a specimen identification mark has barely been used for marine mammals. However, inferring abundance estimates from acoustic methods could enhance the accuracy and precision of population size assessments. Here, we tested the possibility of using signature whistles as individual marks for estimating the size of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) populations. Data were continuously collected for 326 days in 2015-2016, by using a fixed acoustic device located in the Sicily Strait (Italy). The SIGID method was applied to identify Signature Whistles Types (SWTs) over 7,000 h of recordings. Eighty SWTs were detected as long as thei

SUBMITTER: Papale E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12491674 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature