Abstract
Song is produced by a variety of terrestrial and marine animals and is particularly common among baleen whales. Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) song is comprised of relatively simple 20 Hz pulses produced at regular intervals. The timing of these intervals, in addition to the presence and frequency of overtones, appears to be unique to each population. The purpose of this study was to characterize Western Antarctic Peninsula fin whale song and describe temporal pattern variations in song type and occurrence. Recordings were collected in the area from 2001–2004 and again 2014–2016. One song type was identified with a primary inter-pulse interval (IPI) of approximately 14 s and secondary IPI of 12.5 s. This song occurred in three pattern variants: singlet, doublet, and long triplet. The interval between pulses increased by 1.5 s between recording periods while the frequency of the overtones decreased from 89 Hz to 86 Hz. Song was never recorded in August and while it was recorded at other times in some years, it was consistently present in recordings from April through June across all years. While multiple pattern variants were present each year, singlets were generally the most prevalent variant. Doublets and triplets occurred from February through June, with highest levels of variants in February. In later years the triplet variant presence increased and in 2016 it comprised 53% of recorded song bouts. Further research is needed to understand the reasons why song changes over time and to examine the feasibility of using song to delineate and identify populations.
Highlights
Auditory signals are used throughout the animal kingdom to communicate with conspecifics
Deployment locations moved among four sites that were within 300 km of each other in the archipelagos at the north end of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP): Site 1 (S1) in 2001 through 2003, Elephant Island (EI) in 2003 and 2014, South Shetland Islands (SSI) in 2015, and Elephant Island East (EIE) in 2016 (Fig 1)
Based on its inter-pulse interval (IPI) values and associated overtone frequency, there was one fin whale song type detected in the WAP with overtones present below 90Hz
Summary
Auditory signals are used throughout the animal kingdom to communicate with conspecifics. Sound allows individuals to convey information across great distances and in environments with poor visibility [1]. When these sounds are stereotyped in nature and produced in patterned sequences they are called song; songs have been most well documented in birds [2, 3], but are produced by frogs [4], mice [5], bats [6], fish [7], and cetaceans [8–10]. While the exact function of these songs is unclear and may vary across taxa, the generally observed concentration of song during mating periods argues a function in sexual selection and reproduction [11]. Songs can be innate or learned from conspecifics [12, 13]. Social learning has been welldescribed in birds, bats, primates and cetaceans [3, 11–15].
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