Does rotation increase the acoustic field of view? Comparative models based on CT data of a live dolphin versus a dead dolphin

Rotational behaviour has been observed when dolphins track or detect targets, however, its role in echolocation is unknown. We used computed tomography data of one live and one recently deceased bottlenose dolphin, together with measurements of the acoustic properties of head tissues, to perform aco...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bioinspiration & biomimetics 2023-05, Vol.18 (3), p.35006
Main Authors: Wei, Chong, Houser, Dorian, Erbe, Christine, Mátrai, Eszter, Ketten, Darlene R, Finneran, James J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acoustic property reconstruction
Acoustics
Animals
biosonar performance
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin
bottlenose dolphin
computed tomography
Echolocation
echolocation behaviour
finite element analysis
Rotation
Sound Spectrography
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Vocalization, Animal
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Summary:Rotational behaviour has been observed when dolphins track or detect targets, however, its role in echolocation is unknown. We used computed tomography data of one live and one recently deceased bottlenose dolphin, together with measurements of the acoustic properties of head tissues, to perform acoustic property reconstruction. The anatomical configuration and acoustic properties of the main forehead structures between the live and deceased dolphins were compared. Finite element analysis (FEA) was applied to simulate the generation and propagation of echolocation clicks, to compute their waveforms and spectra in both near- and far-fields, and to derive echolocation beam patterns. Modelling results from both the live and deceased dolphins were in good agreement with click recordings from other, live, echolocating individuals. FEA was also used to estimate the acoustic scene experienced by a dolphin rotating 180° about its longitudinal axis to detect fish in the far-field at elevation angles of -20° to 20°. The results suggest that the rotational behaviour provides a wider insonification area and a wider receiving area. Thus, it may provide compensation for the dolphin's relatively narrow biosonar beam, asymmetries in sound reception, and constraints on the pointing direction that are limited by head movement. The results also have implications for examining the accuracy of FEA in acoustic simulations using recently deceased specimens.
ISSN:1748-3182
1748-3190
DOI:10.1088/1748-3190/acc43d