Distinctions in Sound Patterns of Calls by Killer Whales (Orcinus Orca) from Analysis of Computed Sound Features

• Main Authors: Watkins, William A., Daher, Mary A., DiMarzio, Nancy A., Reppucci, Gina
• Other Authors: WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION MA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1998
• Subjects: Biology; Acoustics; *SOUND; *PATTERNS; *WHALES; DATA BASES; NUMERICAL ANALYSIS; STATISTICS; CLASSIFICATION; VISUAL INSPECTION; ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES; SPECTROGRAPHY; *KILLER WHALES; ORCINUS ORCA; SOUND PATTERNS; CALLS; Orca Sound; Orca; Orcinus orca
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA341030; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA341030

Calls of killer whales, Orcinus Orca, were analyzed using computed sound features to classify sound patterns and identify call similarities. Calls were classified and separated according to the pod/family group within clans identified previously by John Ford (U. BC) in the Vancouver whale populations. Acoustic characteristics of the same call type from different individuals were extremely similar, so that discriminating these different sounds was the goal. The WHOl AcouStat program and associated database systems were used to define numerical statistics for each call, and then, these were compared to sort and classify the sounds.