The relationship between the acoustic behaviour and surface activity of killer whales (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Orcinus orca</Emphasis>) that feed on herring (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea harengus</Emphasis>) |
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Authors: | Malene Simon Peter K McGregor Fernando Ugarte |
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Institution: | (1) Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aarhus, C.F. Moellers Alle Building 131, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark;(2) Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland;(3) Duchy College, Stoke Climsland, Callington, PL17 8PB,, Cornwall, UK;(4) Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, P.O. Box 269, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland |
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Abstract: | We describe the acoustic behaviour of piscivorous killer whales in Norwegian and Icelandic waters. Whales were assigned to
one of three activities (feeding, travelling or other), and sound recordings were made in their proximity with a single hydrophone
and a digital audiotape (DAT) recorder. A quantitative analysis of the production of pulsed calls, whistles and echolocation
clicks in the three activities revealed that there was a significant effect of activity on the production of these sound types.
Both killer whales in Icelandic and Norwegian waters produced high rates of clicks and calls during feeding and low rates
of click, calls and whistles during travelling. The differences can be used as acoustical markers and provides new possibilities
for acoustic monitoring of killer whales in these areas. Based on the similarity between their prey choice, hunting strategies,
phenotype and acoustic behaviour, we suggest that the killer whales in Icelandic and Norwegian waters belong to the same ecotype:
Scandinavian herring-eating killer whales. |
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Keywords: | Acoustic behaviour Killer whale Orcinus orca Scandinavian waters |
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