Cold call: the acoustic repertoire of Ross Sea killer whales (Orcinus orca, Type C) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are top marine predators occurring globally. In Antarctic waters, five ecotypes have been described, with Type C being the smallest form of killer whale known. Acoustic recordings of nine encounters of Type C killer whales were collected in 2012 and 2013 in McMurdo Sound, Ross Sea. In a combined 3.5 h of recordings, 6386 killer whale vocalizations were detected and graded based on their signal-to-noise ratio. Spectrograms of the highest-quality calls were examined for characteristic patterns yielding a catalogue of 28 call types (comprising 1250 calls). Acoustic parameters of each call were measured and summarized by call type. Type C killer whales produced complex calls, consisting of multiple frequency-modulated, amplitude-modulated and pulsed componen

SUBMITTER: Wellard R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7062068 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature