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Analysis of humpback whale sounds in shallow waters of the Southeastern Arabian Sea: An indication of breeding habitat

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Abstract

The primary objective of this work was to present the acoustical identification of humpback whales, detected by using an autonomous ambient noise measurement system, deployed in the shallow waters of the Southeastern Arabian Sea (SEAS) during the period January to May 2011. Seven types of sounds were detected. These were characteristically upsweeps and downsweeps along with harmonics. Sounds produced repeatedly in a specific pattern were referred to as phrases (PQRS and ABC). Repeated phrases in a particular pattern were referred to as themes, and from the spectrographic analysis, two themes (I and II) were identified. The variation in the acoustic characteristics such as fundamental frequency, range, duration of the sound unit, and the structure of the phrases and themes are discussed. Sound units were recorded from mid-January to mid-March, with a peak in February, when the mean SST is ~28°C, and no presence was recorded after mid-March. The temporal and thematic structures strongly determine the functions of the humpback whale song form. Given the use of song in the SEAS, this area is possibly used as an active breeding habitat by humpback whales during the winter season.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Director, National Institute of Ocean Technology [NIOT], for his support in carrying out this work. Thanks are also due to G Raguraman, M Ashokan, P Edwards Durai, K Nithyanandam, and C Dhanaraj of the Ocean Acoustics Group of NIOT for their participation in all phases of field deployment and retrieval operations. The authors are grateful to Mrs A Malarkodi and Mrs M Dhanalakshmi for their support in testing and calibration of hydrophones. Thanks to Dr MC Sanjana for her support to estimate the range of sound produced humpback whales using the transmission loss model KRAKEN. Special thanks to Dr E Vivekanandan and Dr R Jeyabaskaran of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, India, for their extensive sighting surveys on cetaceans, which provided valuable information on humpback whales, particularly in our study area.

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  1. National Institute of Ocean Technology, Velachery-Tambaram Main Road, Narayanpuram, Pallikaranai, Chennai, 600 100, India

    Madan M Mahanty, Latha G & Thirunavukkarasu A

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  1. Madan M Mahanty
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  2. Latha G
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Correspondence to Madan M Mahanty.

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Corresponding editor: Renee M Borges

MS received 09 May 2014; accepted 30 March 2015

[Mahanty MM, Latha G and Thirunavukkarasu A 2015 Analysis of humpback whale sounds in shallow waters of the Southeastern Arabian Sea: An indication of breeding habitat. J. Biosci. 40 1–12] DOI 10.1007/s12038-015-9525-5

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Mahanty, M.M., G, L. & A, T. Analysis of humpback whale sounds in shallow waters of the Southeastern Arabian Sea: An indication of breeding habitat. J Biosci 40, 407–417 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-015-9525-5

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