http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7229/full/457515c.html
Nature 457, 515 (29 January 2009) | doi:10.1038/457515c
Research Highlights
Animal acoustics: This whale goes to 11
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. doi:10.1121/1.3040028 (2009)
Killer whales (Orcinus orca; pictured) are a boisterous bunch, keeping track of
each other in the underwater gloom by calling. Many whales, such as those
resident in Puget Sound, near Seattle, Washington, have to contend with a great
deal of noise made by motorized boats.
Marla Holt of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle and her
colleagues measured the calls of Puget Sound whales with a series of
omnidirectional hydrophones. The whales pumped up the amplitude by one decibel
for every extra decibel of background noise. The authors speculate that the
increased effort may cost more energy, and that the noise may stress the whales
or even disrupt their communications.
Enjoy!
Xiao
XIAO, Jianqiang, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Psychology Department
Rutgers University
152 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
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