Hearing loss in stranded odontocete dolphins and whales

The causes of dolphin and whale stranding can often be difficult to determine. Because toothed whales rely on echolocation for orientation and feeding, hearing deficits could lead to stranding. We report on the results of auditory evoked potential measurements from eight species of odontocete cetace...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2010-11, Vol.5 (11), p.e13824-e13824
Main Authors: Mann, David, Hill-Cook, Mandy, Manire, Charles, Greenhow, Danielle, Montie, Eric, Powell, Jessica, Wells, Randall, Bauer, Gordon, Cunningham-Smith, Petra, Lingenfelser, Robert, DiGiovanni, Jr, Robert, Stone, Abigale, Brodsky, Micah, Stevens, Robert, Kieffer, George, Hoetjes, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Animal behavior
Animal cognition
Animals
Aquatic mammals
Audiometry - methods
Auditory evoked potentials
Cetacea
Deafness
Delphinidae
Dolphins
Dolphins & porpoises
Dolphins - classification
Dolphins - physiology
Echolocation
Echolocation - physiology
Ecology/Conservation and Restoration Ecology
Female
Fishing
Fishing gear
Fishing tackle
Globicephala
Hearing loss
Hearing Loss - physiopathology
Hearing protection
Humans
Male
Marine
Marine and Aquatic Sciences/Conservation Science
Marine mammals
Neuroscience/Sensory Systems
Odontoceti
Orcinus orca
Orientation
Orientation behavior
Phocoena phocoena
Rehabilitation
Species Specificity
Steno bredanensis
Stranding
Tursiops
Tursiops truncatus
Whales - classification
Whales - physiology
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Summary:The causes of dolphin and whale stranding can often be difficult to determine. Because toothed whales rely on echolocation for orientation and feeding, hearing deficits could lead to stranding. We report on the results of auditory evoked potential measurements from eight species of odontocete cetaceans that were found stranded or severely entangled in fishing gear during the period 2004 through 2009. Approximately 57% of the bottlenose dolphins and 36% of the rough-toothed dolphins had significant hearing deficits with a reduction in sensitivity equivalent to severe (70-90 dB) or profound (>90 dB) hearing loss in humans. The only stranded short-finned pilot whale examined had profound hearing loss. No impairments were detected in seven Risso's dolphins from three different stranding events, two pygmy killer whales, one Atlantic spotted dolphin, one spinner dolphin, or a juvenile Gervais' beaked whale. Hearing impairment could play a significant role in some cetacean stranding events, and the hearing of all cetaceans in rehabilitation should be tested.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0013824