Abstract
The pioneering work of Ronald Schusterman and David Kastak considered the acoustic signaling of pinnipeds from the perspectives of both sender and receiver. Their work often highlighted the otariid pinnipeds (sea lions and fur seals), which are known for their frequent, loud aerial vocalizations. Numerous aerial vocalizations have been described for otariids, and research has demonstrated that a number of call characteristics are sufficient for individual and species recognition. In contrast to the marked interspecific variability found in these vocalizations, laboratory studies with pure-tone stimuli suggest that the aerial hearing capabilities of otariids are nearly identical among species. This is a surprising result, as many components in the calls of otariids exist at frequencies well below the range of best hearing sensitivity. Future studies can potentially examine the relevance of frequency composition and other vocalization parameters using psychophysical methods that include complex acoustic stimuli and an analysis of subject response latencies. Such methods have proven useful for studying the manner in which birds perceptually categorize vocalizations [Dooling et al., J. Comp. Psychol. 101, 367–381 (1987)] and they may provide novel tools for investigating the link between vocalization structure and auditory perception in otariids. [Work supported by ONR.]
Published Version
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