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Journal of the Acoustical Society of America / Volume 114 / Issue 2 / BIOACOUSTICS [80]

The monopulsed nature of sperm whale clicks

J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 114, Issue 2, pp. 1143-1154 (2003); (12 pages)

Bertel Møhl1, Magnus Wahlberg1, Peter T. Madsen1, Anders Heerfordt2, and Anders Lund3

1Department of Zoophysiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
2Computer Sciences, Corporation Scandinavia, Retortvej 8, DK-1780 V, Copenhagen, Denmark
3Department of Animal Behaviour, Zoological Institute, University of Copenhagen, Tagensvej 16, DK-2200 N, Denmark

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Traditionally, sperm whale clicks have been described as multipulsed, long duration, nondirectional signals of moderate intensity and with a spectrum peaking below 10 kHz. Such properties are counterindicative of a sonar function, and quite different from the properties of dolphin sonar clicks. Here, data are presented suggesting that the traditional view of sperm whale clicks is incomplete and derived from off-axis recordings of a highly directional source. A limited number of assumed on-axis clicks were recorded and found to be essentially monopulsed clicks, with durations of 100 μs, with a composite directionality index of 27 dB, with source levels up to 236 dB re: 1 μPa (rms), and with centroid frequencies of 15 kHz. Such clicks meet the requirements for long-range biosonar purposes. Data were obtained with a large-aperture, GPS-synchronized array in July 2000 in the Bleik Canyon off Vesterålen, Norway (69°28′ N, 15°40′ E). A total of 14 h of sound recordings was collected from five to ten independent, simultaneously operating recording units. The sound levels measured make sperm whale clicks by far the loudest of sounds recorded from any biological source. On-axis click properties support previous work proposing the nose of sperm whales to operate as a generator of sound.© 2003 Acoustical Society of America.

© 2003 Acoustical Society of America

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KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

bioacoustics, mechanoception

PACS

  • 43.80.Ka

    Sound production by animals: mechanisms, characteristics, populations, biosonar

  • 43.64.Tk

    Physiology of sound generation and detection by animals

  • 43.30.Vh

    Active sonar systems

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 12 Aug 2002
Accepted 15 Apr 2003
Revised 14 Dec 2002
Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.1586258

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0001-4966 (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef Acoustical Society of America

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