Extreme diversity in the songs of Spitsbergen's bowhead whales.

K M Stafford,K M Kovacs,Ø Wiig,C Lydersen

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0056

K M Stafford, K M Kovacs + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2018.0056

Copy DOI

Abstract

Almost all mammals communicate using sound, but few species produce complex songs. Two baleen whales sing complex songs that change annually, though only the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) has received much research attention. This study focuses on the other baleen whale singer, the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Members of the Spitsbergen bowhead whale population produced 184 different song types over a 3-year period, based on duty-cycled recordings from a site in Fram Strait in the northeast Atlantic. Distinct song types were recorded over short periods, lasting at most some months. This song diversity could be the result of population expansion, or immigration of animals from other populations that are no longer isolated from each other by heavy sea ice. However, this explanation does not account for the within season and annual shifting of song types. Other possible explanations for the extraordinary diversity in songs could be that it results either from weak selection pressure for interspecific identification or for maintenance of song characteristics or, alternatively, from strong pressure for novelty in a small population.

Highlights

IntroductionWhile many mammalian taxa produce repetitive ‘calls’, sometimes called advertisement songs [1,2,3], few mammals produce vocal displays akin to bird song, which is defined by multiple frequencies and amplitude-modulated elements combined into phrases and organized in long bouts [4]
The greatest number of different song types was recorded in December and January
A total of 184 different song types were recorded in the 3-year study period

Summary

Introduction

While many mammalian taxa produce repetitive ‘calls’, sometimes called advertisement songs [1,2,3], few mammals produce vocal displays akin to bird song, which is defined by multiple frequencies and amplitude-modulated elements combined into phrases and organized in long bouts [4]. Such songs have been documented in only a few mammalian species, including some bats (Chiroptera), gibbons (Hylobatidae), mice (Scotinomys spp.), rock hyraxes (Procavia capensis), and two great whales, humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) whales [3,5,6,7,8]. Humpback whale songs are composed of a hierarchy from units to sub-phrases to phrases to themes [12]

Methods

Results

Conclusion