Measuring Hearing in Wild Beluga Whales.

作者信息

Mooney T Aran, Castellote Manuel, Quakenbush Lori, Hobbs Roderick, Goertz Caroline, Gaglione Eric

机构信息

Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, MRF MS50, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA.

National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA.

出版信息

Adv Exp Med Biol. 2016;875:729-35. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2981-8_88.

DOI:10.1007/978-1-4939-2981-8_88

PMID:26611025

Abstract

We measured the hearing abilities of seven wild beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) during a collection-and-release experiment in Bristol Bay, AK. Here we summarize the methods and initial data from one animal and discuss the implications of this experiment. Audiograms were collected from 4 to 150 kHz. The animal with the lowest threshold heard best at 80 kHz and demonstrated overall good hearing from 22 to 110 kHz. The robustness of the methodology and data suggest that the auditory evoked potential audiograms can be incorporated into future collection-and-release health assessments. Such methods may provide high-quality results for multiple animals, facilitating population-level audiograms and hearing measures in new species.

摘要