Monitoring of a Seasonal Local Aggregation of Beluga Whales Delphinapterus leucas Based on Presumed Identification “Contact Calls”: a Pilot Study

— Recently, an acoustic individual identification (AIID) approach based on recognition of dolphins by individually distinctive calls such as “signature whistles” has been applied to bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus . Some other Odontoceti species can also have individually specific calls: e.g....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oceanology (Washington. 1965) 2024, Vol.64 (4), p.566-575
Main Authors: Panova, E. M., Agafonov, A. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggregation
Aquatic mammals
Cetacea
Contact
Delphinapterus leucas
Dolphins
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecological aggregations
Marine Biology
Marine mammals
Natural environment
Oceanography
Vocalization behavior
Whales
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Summary:— Recently, an acoustic individual identification (AIID) approach based on recognition of dolphins by individually distinctive calls such as “signature whistles” has been applied to bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus . Some other Odontoceti species can also have individually specific calls: e.g., in beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas , these are so-called “contact calls”. In this pilot study, we have tested the possibility of using the presumed contact calls of belugas to obtain the data on occurrence, number, and individual composition of their local aggregations in the natural environment. We have concluded that the diversity of contact calls can serve as an acceptable indicator of the number of individuals in the research area; in addition, these calls are potentially applicable for individual acoustic identification in belugas.
ISSN:0001-4370
1531-8508
DOI:10.1134/S0001437024700231