Abstract
Finite Element Modeling (FEM) techniques are used to study the effects of mechanical perturbation in complex structures. Simulated sound sources placed inside and outside of an adult male Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) reveal pathways for acoustic propagation into and out of the head. Sound sources located at the left and right phonic lips produce beams that converge just outside the head. This result supports the notion that dual sonar sources can interfere constructively to form a sonar beam in front of the animal. The most intriguing FEM results concern pathways by which sounds reach the hearing apparatus. A 40 kHz planar wave that approaches from in front of the animal may be transmitted through the lower jaw by flexural wave coupling. The simulations also reveal a previously undescribed “gular pathway” for sound reception. Propagated sound pressure waves enter the head from below and between the lower jaws, continuing toward the bony ear complexes through the internal mandibular fat bodies. This new pathway has implications for the evolution of underwater hearing in odontocetes. The techniques developed for this study can be used to study acoustic perturbation in a wide variety of marine organisms.
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