Title: Seasonal trends and diel patterns of downsweep and SEP calls in Chilean blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus)

Type Dataset Redaelli, Laura, Mangia Woods, Sari, Landea Briones, Rafaela, Sayigh, Laela S. (2022-01-13): Seasonal trends and diel patterns of downsweep and SEP calls in Chilean blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus). Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Dataset. https://darchive.mblwhoilibrary.org/handle/1912/27919

Authors: Redaelli, Laura ; Mangia Woods, Sari ; Landea Briones, Rafaela ; Sayigh, Laela S. ;

Links

• Item record in Woods Hole Open Access Server
• Digital object URL

Summary

To learn more about occurrence and behavior of a recently discovered population of blue whales, passive acoustic data were collected for 15 consecutive months (January 2012 – April 2013) in the Chiloense ecoregion of southern Chile. Automatic detectors and manual auditing were used to detect blue whale songs (SEP calls) and D calls, which were then analyzed to gain insights into temporal calling patterns. We found a year-round acoustic presence of D calls, with the majority occurring during austral summer (December to April), with several sub-monthly peaks. On the other hand, no SEP calls were found during austral winter. Thus, our results support previous studies documenting austral summer residency of blue whales in the Chiloense ecoregion, although they suggest that some individuals remain in the area year-round, highlighting the importance of the Chiloense ecoregion as blue whale habitat. We also investigated daily occurrence of each call type and found that D calls occurred more frequently during dusk and night hours compared to dawn and day periods, whereas SEP calls did not show any significant diel differences. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of occurrence and behavior of endangered Chilean blue whales, which can enhance our ability to develop conservation strategies in this important southern hemisphere habitat.

More information

• URI: https://hdl.handle.net/1912/27919
• DOI: 10.26025/1912/27919

Subjects

• Chilean blue whales, Marine bioacoustics, Balaenoptera musculus, Chile, D calls, SEP calls, Diel patterns, Seasonal trends, Marine conservation

Dates

• accessioned: January 13, 2022
• available: January 13, 2022
• Publication date: January 13, 2022

Format

electronic resource

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