The influence of variations in background noise on Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) detection of boat noise and vocalizations.

ABSTRACT: A manatee's primary modality to detect a vessel on a possible collision course is hearing as underwater visibility is limited in many manatee habitats and their visual acuity is poor. We estimate a Florida manatee's ability to detect the sound of an approaching boat and vocalizations in four different soundscapes in Sarasota Bay, FL. Background noise samples were collected every 5 minutes for a two-week period during winter and summer at each location (2019 or 2020). Sound levels in third octave bands (0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 kHz) were measured and compared to manatee auditory hearing thresholds and to sound levels of an approaching boat traveling at a slow, medium, or fast speed. Background sound levels in a wider band (1-20 kHz) were calculated to model vocal communication space at each loca

SUBMITTER: Rycyk AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9116681 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature