Title: Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Type Dataset Wisniewska, Danuta Maria, Ratcliffe, John Morgan, Beedholm, Kristian, Christensen, Christian Bech, Johnson, Mark, Koblitz, Jens C, Wahlberg, Magnus, Madsen, Peter Teglberg (2015): Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Zenodo. Dataset. https://zenodo.org/record/17195

Authors: Wisniewska, Danuta Maria (Aarhus University, Denmark) ; Ratcliffe, John Morgan (University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada) ; Beedholm, Kristian (Aarhus University, Denmark) ; Christensen, Christian Bech (Aarhus University, Denmark) ; Johnson, Mark (University of St Andrews, Scotland) ; Koblitz, Jens C (University of Tübingen, Germany) ; Wahlberg, Magnus (University of Southern Denmark, Denmark) ; Madsen, Peter Teglberg (Aarhus University, Denmark) ;

Links

• Item record in Zenodo
• Digital object URL

Summary

Data from: Range-dependent flexibility in the acoustic field of view of echolocating porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). eLife 2015;10.7554/eLife.05651

Abstract:

Toothed whales use sonar to detect, locate, and track prey. They adjust emitted sound intensity, auditory sensitivity and click rate to target range, and terminate prey pursuits with high-repetition-rate, low-intensity buzzes. However, their narrow acoustic field of view (FOV) is considered stable throughout target approach, which could facilitate prey escape at close-range. Here we show that, like some bats, harbour porpoises can broaden their biosonar beam during the terminal phase of attack but, unlike bats, maintain the ability to change beamwidth within this phase. Based on video, MRI, and acoustic-tag recordings, we propose this flexibility is modulated by the melon and implemented to accommodate dynamic spatial relationships with prey and acoustic complexity of surroundings. Despite independent evolution and different means of sound generation and transmission, whales and bats adaptively change their FOV, suggesting that beamwidth flexibility has been an important driver in the evolution of echolocation for prey tracking.

The data set contains all the audio and video data from the trials with the 48-hydrophone array used in the final analysis.

More information

• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17195

Subjects

• biosonar, beam directionality, buzz, prey capture, convergent evolution

Dates

• Publication date: 2015
• Issued: April 28, 2015

Rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Closed Access

Format

electronic resource

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