Mysterious Minke Whales: Acoustic Diversity and Variability

Risch, Denise

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-98449-6_14

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…However, we note that this would be phylogenetically and evolutionarily incongruent, since the fundamental characteristics of song structure (in terms of frequency band, unit and phrase structure and timing/rhythm of song components) tend to be conserved among populations of the same species, such that their songs are generally recognizable as that species despite geographical variation among the populations. This consistency in song structure has been well demonstrated for humpback whales [38,59], blue whales [25], minke whales [39] and Omura's whales [27,60]. The MF song that we describe is so acoustically divergent from the LF vocalizations reported in other populations, that it is difficult to imagine a selective scenario in which populations of the same species could evolve such divergent reproductive displays.…”

Section: Mid-frequency Songsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Song has been documented among most of the Balaenopteridae, and is suspected to be a common male reproductive display. Singing behaviour has been best described for humpback whales (reviewed in [38]), but most species of Balaenoptera produce rhythmically repetitive vocalizations that have formally been recognized as songs, including blue whales [25], fin whales [23,24], Antarctic minke whales (B. bonaerensis, [39]), common and dwarf minke whales (B. acutorostrata, [40][41][42]), and Omura's whales (B. omurai, [26,27]). Bryde's whales (B. edeni) and Rice's whale (B. ricei) have also been reported to make stereotyped 'calls ' [sic] that have rhythmic repetition rates [43][44][45][46]; the descriptions of these vocalizations are consistent with a reproductive song display, although they are not formally referred to as song in their respective literature.…”

Section: Mid-frequency Songmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mid-frequency song and low-frequency calls of sei whales in the Falkland Islands

Cerchio

Weir

2022

R. Soc. open sci.

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Although sei whales ( Balaenoptera borealis ) are distributed throughout the globe, their behaviour and vocal repertoire are poorly described. We used passive acoustic monitoring to describe the vocal behaviour of sei whales in the Falkland Islands, between December 2018 and April 2019. We isolated more than 2000 low-frequency calls for manual classification, of which 510 calls with high signal-to-noise ratio were quantitatively measured. Five categories of stereotyped call types in the 15–230 Hz range were described, some with multiple subcategories. These included some similar to previously described calls (e.g. downsweeps), but others that were novel in acoustic structure and frequency band. In the mid-frequency range, we documented a highly stereotyped, hierarchically structured and rhythmically repetitive song display. Songs were arranged in phrases with a structure composed of repetitive sub-phrases, and a diverse variety of sounds in the 1–5 kHz range. Singing commenced in late February, despite the presence of whales and calls since early December, and continued through April. These acoustic properties and behavioural characteristics indicate that this is likely a male breeding display similar to songs and singing of other balaenopterids. This is the first detailed description of a song display for sei whales, highlighting the importance of the Falkland Islands.

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Section: Mid-frequency Songsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Mid-frequency Songmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mid-frequency song and low-frequency calls of sei whales in the Falkland Islands

Cerchio

Weir

2022

R. Soc. open sci.

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“…How this is accomplished is not clear, but apparently it involves mutual melding or adoption, which are forms of cultural transmission (Noad 2011;Darling et al 2019). Similar mechanisms of vocal learning may occur in blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) (McDonald et al 2006;Archer et al 2020), in which males typically sing the same song within a region, and in other baleen whale species that sing (Cerchio 2022;Risch 2022), although there is variation in the degree of social conformity and individual innovation among species (Stafford 2022). The importance of social learning is also evident in the evolution of post-reproductive lifespans in killer Fig.…”

Section: The Social Context Of Reproductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cetacean Sociality, Reproduction, and Conservation

Mesnick,

Reeves,

Wade

et al. 2023

Sex in Cetaceans

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The world’s cetaceans (like most of biodiversity) are in crisis, and the need for well-informed conservation action has never been greater. Scientific advancements over the last few decades have provided much insight on the reproductive anatomy, physiology, and behavior of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Our goal in this chapter is to link scientific findings to practical actions that will improve resilience and conservation prospects of cetaceans. We provide an overview of human activities and their impacts on cetacean reproduction and review the progress (or lack thereof) toward conserving species, with a particular focus on those for which sociality and culture may be important to population recovery. For all cetaceans, it is important to preserve or, where necessary and feasible, reestablish the ecological, demographic, and social conditions that allow the animals to reproduce successfully in their natural environment. The better we understand and integrate knowledge concerning cetacean reproductive health into conservation strategies, the better the chances of achieving species recovery, protecting biodiversity, and preventing future extinctions.

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Reproductive Tactics in Baleen Whales

Eichenberger,

Garland,

Carroll

2023

Sex in Cetaceans

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While a variety of reproductive tactics are readily witnessed in odontocetes, such behaviors can be far more elusive in baleen whales and in some cases are yet to be observed. This leads researchers to study the reproductive behaviors in mysticetes using a variety of research methods which have improved greatly in recent years. Genetics and genomics tools can provide valuable information on maternity, paternity, age, diversity, and kinship, while acoustic tools can provide new insights into the function of sexual displays such as song. In this chapter, we explore what is known about reproductive strategies and tactics of baleen whales, with a particular focus on the comparatively well-studied right whales (Eubalaena spp.) and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Finally, we showcase that by integrating multiple data types, we can explore the interactions between anatomy, physiology, reproductive success, age, population dynamics, and acoustic displays to better understand the mating systems of baleen whales.

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Mysterious Minke Whales: Acoustic Diversity and Variability

Cited by 4 publications

References 72 publications

Mid-frequency song and low-frequency calls of sei whales in the Falkland Islands

Mid-frequency song and low-frequency calls of sei whales in the Falkland Islands

Cetacean Sociality, Reproduction, and Conservation

Reproductive Tactics in Baleen Whales

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