The influence of age and sex on the vocal repertoire of the Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) and their responses to call playback

Limited information is available regarding the acoustic communication of Antillean manatees, however, studies have shown that other manatee taxa produce vocalizations as a method of individual recognition and communication. Here, the acoustic signals of 15 Antillean manatees in captivity were record...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine mammal science 2018-07, Vol.34 (3), p.577-594
Main Authors: Umeed, Rebecca, Niemeyer Attademo, Fernanda Löffler, Bezerra, Bruna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acoustic signals
Acoustics
Age
Antillean manatee
Aquatic mammals
call rate
Captivity
Communication
Females
Freshwater mammals
Juveniles
Males
Manatees
Marine mammals
Minors
Playback
Playbacks
Resonant frequencies
Rubbing
Sex
Sirenia
Trichechus manatus
Trichechus manatus manatus
Vocalization
Vocalization behavior
vocalization structure
Year class
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Limited information is available regarding the acoustic communication of Antillean manatees, however, studies have shown that other manatee taxa produce vocalizations as a method of individual recognition and communication. Here, the acoustic signals of 15 Antillean manatees in captivity were recorded, aiming to (1) describe their acoustic repertoire, (2) investigate the influence of sex and age on vocalization, and (3) examine manatee responses to call playback. Six acoustic signals ranging in mean fundamental frequencies from 0.64 kHz to 5.23 kHz were identified: squeaks and screeches were common to adult males, adult females, and juveniles; trills were common to adult males and females; whines were specific to males; creaks were specific to females; and rubbing was specific to juveniles. The structure of squeak vocalizations was significantly different between age and sex classes and screech structure was significantly different between age classes. Squeaks and screeches produced by juveniles had higher frequencies of maximum energy when compared to those produced by adult males and females. A significant increase in the vocalization rate following vocalization playbacks was found for all three age/sex groups. Our results introduce the potential of using acoustic signals in identifying and noninvasively monitoring manatees in the wild in Brazil.
ISSN:0824-0469
1748-7692
DOI:10.1111/mms.12467