Measuring Acoustic Activity as a Method to Evaluate Welfare in Captive Beluga Whales (&lt;I&gt;Delphinapterus leucas&lt;/I&gt;)

Castellote, Manuel; Fossa, Fulvio

doi:10.1578/am.32.3.2006.325

Cited by 48 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Among mammals, dolphins possess a very complex communication system (Caldwell and Caldwell, 1968;Puente and Dewbury, 1976;Sjare and Smith, 1986;Dawson and Thorpe, 1990;Weilgart and Whitehead, 1990 ;Norris et al, 1994;BarrettLennard et al, 1996;Herzing, 1996) and like primates (Owing and Virginia, 1978;Mitami and Nishida, 1993 ;Rendall et al, 2000), they can convey information regarding behavioral or environmental changes either by producing particular types of calls (Esch et al, 2009;Hawkins and Gardside, 2010) or with the variations of their rates. Therefore, acoustic monitoring should represent a tool to gather information on activity patterns, health conditions of captive cetaceans in order to improve the quality of their life (Castellote and Fossa, 2006;Akiyama and Ohta, 2007;Therrien et al, 2012).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, the potential use of this method as a measure of wellbeing in captive dolphins is still limited (Castellote and Fossa, 2006;Akiyama and Ohta, 2007;Therrien et al, 2012). Among the family delphinidae, false killer whales ( Pseudorca crassidens ) are a very vocal species (Brown et al, 1966;Baird et al, 2008Baird et al, , 2010, and despite their world-wide distribution (Stewart et al, 2002) these dolphins are one of the lesser known large Odontocetes (Stacey et al, 1994;Odell and McClune, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Variation in the emission rate of sounds in a captive group of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens during feedings: possible food anticipatory vocal activity?

Platto

Wang

2015

Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study examines whether a group of captive false killer whales ( Pseudorca crassidens ) showed variations in the vocal rate around feeding times. The high level of motivation to express appetitive behaviors in captive animals may lead them to respond with changes of the behavioral activities during the time prior to food deliveries which are referred to as food anticipatory activity. False killer whales at Qingdao Polar Ocean World (Qingdao, China) showed signifi cant variations of the rates of both the total sounds and sound classes (whistles, clicks, and burst pulses) around feedings. Precisely, from the Transition interval that recorded the lowest vocalization rate (3.40 s/m/d), the whales increased their acoustic emissions upon trainers' arrival (13.08 s/m/d). The high rate was maintained or intensifi ed throughout the food delivery (25.12 s/m/d), and then reduced immediately after the animals were fed (9.91 s/m/d). These changes in the false killer whales sound production rates around feeding times supports the hypothesis of the presence of a food anticipatory vocal activity. Although sound rates may not give detailed information regarding referential aspects of the animal communication it might still shed light about the arousal levels of the individuals during diff erent social or environmental conditions. Further experiments should be performed to assess if variations of the time of feeding routines may aff ect the vocal activity of cetaceans in captivity as well as their welfare.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in the emission rate of sounds in a captive group of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens during feedings: possible food anticipatory vocal activity?

Platto

Wang

2015

Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Underwater acoustic behavior may also change in a captive environment. At the L'Oceanográfic in Valencia, Spain, Castellote & Fossa (2006) observed a persistent decrease in acoustic activity of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) after long air transportation from South America to their new facility. The same belugas also decreased underwater sound production when four harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were introduced to their pool.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Time of Day and Social Change Affect Underwater Sound Production by Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at the Brookfield Zoo

Therrien

Thomas²,

Therrien³

et al. 2012

Aquat Mamm

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigated diel changes in ambient noise levels and the number of whistles produced by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois. Automated, continuous 24-h underwater recordings were made from 1 January to 31 March 2008. The number of whistles, types of whistles, and background noise level were examined for each hour. Nine distinct frequency contours were identified, named, and analyzed for minimum frequency, maximum frequency, peak frequency, and duration.Since all pumps and filters at the Seven Seas Exhibit of Brookfield Zoo were housed in a separate building isolated from the dolphins' pools, background noise was relatively low and consistent throughout the day (95 to 98 dB re: 1 µPa). However, when the zoo staff used a scrubber to clean the pool walls, the background noise was higher and fluctuated (up to 112 dB re: 1 µPa). The dolphins whistled significantly less during these scrubbing periods.The dolphins exhibited a distinct diel pattern in whistle production. Increased whistle production coincided with increased interactions with humans during feeding/training sessions; the number of whistles peaked in the late afternoon (~1600 h) and then quickly tapered off throughout the night.The investigation began with eight dolphins; however, the death of one young male and the transport of two adult males to another facility left five dolphins: two adult females and two juvenile females along with an unrelated young male. These changes provided an opportunity to explore how social change affected whistle production.After the two adult males were transported out of the facility, two of the distinct whistle types disappeared, suggesting that each of the two dolphins had a unique whistle type. The results of this investigation highlight the usefulness of passive recording for monitoring ambient noise, as well as for documenting the activity pattern and social interactions of captive bottlenose dolphins.

show abstract

“…There is also evidence of a decrease or even a ceasing of calls in the acoustic activity of odontocetes in the presence of natural predators. This acoustic response has also been observed in both captive and free-ranging beluga whales (Morgan 1979, Lésage et al 1999, Karlsen et al 2002, Van Parijs et al 2003, Castellote & Fossa 2006 and free-ranging narwhals Monodon monoceros (Finley et al 1990) and has been associated with threat, startle, fright, alarm, or stress contexts and interpreted as a survival strategy to avoid detection by predators (Schevill 1964, Fish & Vania 1971, Morgan 1979, Finley et al 1990, Lésage et al 1999. A playback study on N orth Atlantic right whales documented a drastic cessation in foraging behavior and interruption of the diving cycle when an alarm signal was projected, independently of the received level (N owacek et al 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Changes in the acoustic behavior of gray whales Eschrichtius robustus in response to noise

Dahlheim¹,

Castellote²

2016

Endang. Species. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Measuring Acoustic Activity as a Method to Evaluate Welfare in Captive Beluga Whales (<I>Delphinapterus leucas</I>)

Cited by 48 publications

References 0 publications

Variation in the emission rate of sounds in a captive group of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens during feedings: possible food anticipatory vocal activity?

Variation in the emission rate of sounds in a captive group of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens during feedings: possible food anticipatory vocal activity?

Time of Day and Social Change Affect Underwater Sound Production by Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at the Brookfield Zoo

Changes in the acoustic behavior of gray whales Eschrichtius robustus in response to noise

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About