An Unknown Nocturnal Call Type in the Mariana Archipelago
January 23, 2023
In spring/summer of 2018 and 2021, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Cetacean Research Program deployed drifting acoustic recorders in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zones surrounding the Mariana Archipelago.
Manual assessments revealed a low-frequency (median 473–554 Hz), short-duration (median 0.596 s), stereotypic tonal nocturnal call throughout the Mariana Archipelago. Based on time of year, spatiotemporal patterns, clear division among calls (i.e., no chorusing), comparisons with known vocalizations of whales, turtles, and fish, and presence of Bryde's whale calls, and because the call has not been detected elsewhere, we hypothesize this 500-Hz pulsed call is produced by Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera brydei)
Szesciorka AR, McCullough JLK, Oleson EM. 2023. An unknown nocturnal call type in the Mariana Archipelago. JASA Express Letters, Volume 3, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0017068.