Presentation Title
Almirante Bottlenose Dolphin Whistles
Abstract
Coastal bottlenose dolphins’ populations are small, show high site fidelity, and are vulnerable due to human activities such as boat traffic. Areas with high boat traffic are noisier, and this noise can mask biologically important acoustic signals used by dolphins to find food and to socialize. Here I study the acoustic structure of dolphin’s communicative signals, called whistles in high traffic site in Almirante Bay, in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Data was collected using autonomous underwater recorders that sampled the soundscape continuously in a 24h cycle. Only high noise-to-signal ratio whistles were analyzed. From each whistle seven acoustic variables were extracted using the sound analysis software RAVEN. The results of this study will contribute to ongoing conservation efforts in the area to regulate boat traffic within important dolphin habitat.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Laura May-Collado
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Laura May-Collado(co-author)
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Almirante Bottlenose Dolphin Whistles
Coastal bottlenose dolphins’ populations are small, show high site fidelity, and are vulnerable due to human activities such as boat traffic. Areas with high boat traffic are noisier, and this noise can mask biologically important acoustic signals used by dolphins to find food and to socialize. Here I study the acoustic structure of dolphin’s communicative signals, called whistles in high traffic site in Almirante Bay, in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Data was collected using autonomous underwater recorders that sampled the soundscape continuously in a 24h cycle. Only high noise-to-signal ratio whistles were analyzed. From each whistle seven acoustic variables were extracted using the sound analysis software RAVEN. The results of this study will contribute to ongoing conservation efforts in the area to regulate boat traffic within important dolphin habitat.