Dolphin Whistle Geographical Variation in Central America
Conference Year
January 2020
Abstract
The pantropical spotted dolphin is the most abundant dolphin species in the Pacific coast of Central America. Like other dolphin species, they rely on sound to communicate, primarily through the use of narrow banded frequency modulate sounds called whistles. Here we study their whistle acoustic structure variation across populations in Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica. Data collected from autonomous underwater recorders was processed to extract standard frequency variables (e.g., high frequency, low frequency, delta frequency, peak frequency), duration, the number of harmonics, and modulation (e.g., inflection points, contour). The study of whistle acoustic structure can contribute to our understanding of population structure and inform government and non-profit organizations to better manage and regulate these populations.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Laura May-Collado
Secondary Mentor Name
Bryan Ballif
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Second Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Neuroscience
Second Program/Major
Biological Science
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Dolphin Whistle Geographical Variation in Central America
The pantropical spotted dolphin is the most abundant dolphin species in the Pacific coast of Central America. Like other dolphin species, they rely on sound to communicate, primarily through the use of narrow banded frequency modulate sounds called whistles. Here we study their whistle acoustic structure variation across populations in Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica. Data collected from autonomous underwater recorders was processed to extract standard frequency variables (e.g., high frequency, low frequency, delta frequency, peak frequency), duration, the number of harmonics, and modulation (e.g., inflection points, contour). The study of whistle acoustic structure can contribute to our understanding of population structure and inform government and non-profit organizations to better manage and regulate these populations.