College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2010 Nov 3;5(11):e13824. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013824.
The causes of dolphin and whale stranding can often be difficult to determine. Because toothed whales rely on echolocation for orientation and feeding, hearing deficits could lead to stranding. We report on the results of auditory evoked potential measurements from eight species of odontocete cetaceans that were found stranded or severely entangled in fishing gear during the period 2004 through 2009. Approximately 57% of the bottlenose dolphins and 36% of the rough-toothed dolphins had significant hearing deficits with a reduction in sensitivity equivalent to severe (70-90 dB) or profound (>90 dB) hearing loss in humans. The only stranded short-finned pilot whale examined had profound hearing loss. No impairments were detected in seven Risso's dolphins from three different stranding events, two pygmy killer whales, one Atlantic spotted dolphin, one spinner dolphin, or a juvenile Gervais' beaked whale. Hearing impairment could play a significant role in some cetacean stranding events, and the hearing of all cetaceans in rehabilitation should be tested.
海豚和鲸鱼搁浅的原因往往难以确定。由于齿鲸依靠回声定位来定向和觅食，听力缺陷可能导致搁浅。我们报告了 2004 年至 2009 年期间，因搁浅或严重缠绕在渔具中而被发现的 8 种齿鲸海豚的听觉诱发电位测量结果。大约 57%的宽吻海豚和 36%的糙齿海豚的听力明显受损，其灵敏度降低相当于人类严重（70-90dB）或极重度（>90dB）听力损失。唯一接受检查的短肢领航鲸有极重度听力损失。在来自三次不同搁浅事件的 7 头里氏海豚、两头小抹香鲸、一头大西洋斑点海豚、一头飞旋海豚或一头幼年格氏突吻鲸中，没有发现听力损伤。听力损伤可能在一些鲸目动物搁浅事件中发挥重要作用，所有康复中的鲸目动物的听力都应进行测试。
