WELLINGTON, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A study published on Monday found that bottlenose dolphins of two different locations in New Zealand whistle differently in the style, duration and pitch of their acoustic communications, similar to regional accents.

This is a pattern that has been noticed in other marine mammal populations globally, according to the study published in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology.

Dolphins are social animals that depend on sound to communicate, navigate, and find food, the research article said.

The aim of the research was to describe dolphin whistle characteristics and compare whistles between two isolated populations of bottlenose dolphins in New Zealand, said researchers from Massey University and the University of Otago.

Aspects of dolphin bioacoustics covered by the research include classification of whistles; comparison of the whistles of two discrete bottlenose dolphin populations; and comparison of whistles of dolphin populations from around the world, the researchers said.

The key differences were whistle-type contour, duration, and end frequency, it said, adding whistle acoustic parameters were influenced by location but not by group size or the presence of immatures.

This study provides a benchmark for future research into drivers of geographic variation in dolphin vocal communication, it said. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)