Nature 458, 810 (16 April 2009) | doi:10.1038/458810a
Research Highlights
Animal behaviour: Deafening dolphins
Biol. Lett. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0099 (2009)
Mid-frequency sonar — such as that deployed on military ships — can induce
temporary hearing loss in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus),
which some people fear can cause them to lose their way and end up stranded on
beaches.
Aran Mooney and his colleagues at the University of Hawaii in Kaneohe exposed a
trained, captive dolphin to intensive sonar pings to a level of 214 decibels,
which induced hearing loss and behavioural changes. Hearing function was
measured using an electrode placed atop the head (pictured) to detect auditory
evoked potentials in the brainstem. Tests showed that repeated exposures are
required to produce the hearing loss.
Enjoy!
Xiao
XIAO, Jianqiang, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Psychology Department
Rutgers University
152 Frelinghuysen Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
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