|
| |
|
|
|
|
||||
| Home Help Feedback Subscriptions Archive Search Table of Contents | ||||
Sperm whale sound production studied with ultrasound time/depth-recording tags
1 Department of Zoophysiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University
of Aarhus, Building 131, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
2 The Ocean Alliance/The Whale Conservation Institute, 191 Weston Road,
Lincoln, MA 01775, USA
* e-mail: Peter.teglberg{at}biology.au.dk
Accepted 15 April 2002
Delphinoids (Delphinidae, Odontoceti) produce tonal sounds and clicks by forcing pressurized air past phonic lips in the nasal complex. It has been proposed that homologous, hypertrophied nasal structures in the deep-diving sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) (Physeteridae, Odontoceti) are dedicated to the production of clicks. However, air volumes in diving mammals are reduced with increasing ambient pressure, which seems likely to influence pneumatic sound production at depth. To study sperm whale sound production at depth, we attached ultrasound time/depth-recording tags to sperm whales by means of a pole and suction cup. We demonstrate that sperm whale click production in terms of output and frequency content is unaffected by hydrostatic reduction in available air volume down to less than 2% of the initial air volume in the nasal complex. We present evidence suggesting that the sound-generating mechanism has a bimodal function, allowing for the production of clicks suited for biosonar and clicks more suited for communication. Shared click features suggest that sound production in sperm whales is based on the same fundamental biomechanics as in smaller odontocetes and that the nasal complexes are therefore not only anatomically but also functionally homologous in generating the initial sound pulse.
Key words: sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, pneumatic, sound production, click, tag, biosonar, communication, nasal complex, spermaceti organ, diving, monkey lips
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati 
Twitter What's this?
Related articles in JEB:
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  S. L. DeRuiter, A. Bahr, M.-A. Blanchet, S. F. Hansen, J. H. Kristensen, P. T. Madsen, P. L. Tyack, and M. Wahlberg Acoustic behaviour of echolocating porpoises during prey capture J. Exp. Biol., October 1, 2009; 212(19): 3100 - 3107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
F. H. Jensen, L. Bejder, M. Wahlberg, and P. T. Madsen Biosonar adjustments to target range of echolocating bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in the wild J. Exp. Biol., April 15, 2009; 212(8): 1078 - 1086. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
U. K. Verfuss, L. A. Miller, P. K. D. Pilz, and H.-U. Schnitzler Echolocation by two foraging harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) J. Exp. Biol., March 15, 2009; 212(6): 823 - 834. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M Johnson, L.S Hickmott, N Aguilar Soto, and P.T Madsen Echolocation behaviour adapted to prey in foraging Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) Proc R Soc B, January 22, 2008; 275(1631): 133 - 139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. Akamatsu, D. Wang, K. Wang, and Y. Naito Biosonar behaviour of free-ranging porpoises Proc R Soc B, April 22, 2005; 272(1565): 797 - 801. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. T. Madsen, M. Johnson, N. A. de Soto, W. M. X. Zimmer, and P. Tyack Biosonar performance of foraging beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2005; 208(2): 181 - 194. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. T. Madsen, I. Kerr, and R. Payne Echolocation clicks of two free-ranging, oceanic delphinids with different food preferences: false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens and Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2004; 207(11): 1811 - 1823. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. J. O. Miller, M. P. Johnson, P. L. Tyack, and E. A. Terray Swimming gaits, passive drag and buoyancy of diving sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus J. Exp. Biol., May 1, 2004; 207(11): 1953 - 1967. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
