Aerial low-frequency hearing in captive and free-ranging harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) measured using auditory brainstem responses

The hearing sensitivity of 18 free-ranging and 10 captive harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina ) to aerial sounds was measured in the presence of typical environmental noise through auditory brainstem response measurements. A focus was put on the comparative hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. Low- an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Comparative Physiology 2016-12, Vol.202 (12), p.859-868
Main Authors: Lucke, Klaus, Hastie, Gordon D., Ternes, Kerstin, McConnell, Bernie, Moss, Simon, Russell, Deborah J. F., Weber, Heike, Janik, Vincent M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABR
Acoustic Stimulation
Aging - physiology
Animal Physiology
Animals
Animals, Wild - physiology
Animals, Zoo - physiology
Audiometry
Auditory Perception - physiology
Auditory Threshold - physiology
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem - physiology
Female
Harbour seal
Hearing
Hearing Loss - physiopathology
Life Sciences
Low frequency
Male
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Phoca - growth & development
Phoca - physiology
Phoca vitulina
Regression Analysis
Zoology
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Summary:The hearing sensitivity of 18 free-ranging and 10 captive harbour seals ( Phoca vitulina ) to aerial sounds was measured in the presence of typical environmental noise through auditory brainstem response measurements. A focus was put on the comparative hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. Low- and mid-frequency thresholds appeared to be elevated in both captive and free-ranging seals, but this is likely due to masking effects and limitations of the methodology used. The data also showed individual variability in hearing sensitivity with probable age-related hearing loss found in two old harbour seals. These results suggest that the acoustic sensitivity of free-ranging animals was not negatively affected by the soundscape they experienced in the wild.
ISSN:0340-7594
1432-1351
DOI:10.1007/s00359-016-1126-8