Song Notes and Patterns of the Mediterranean Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Ionian Sea

The Mediterranean fin whale emits two types of 20-Hz calls, known as “classic” and “backbeat”, that can be produced in irregular series or in patterned sequences called songs. The analysis of songs is recognized as a meaningful approach to study baleen whales and can be used to investigate populatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sciacca, Virginia, Morello, Giuseppe, Beranzoli, Laura, Embriaco, Davide, Filiciotto, Francesco, Marinaro, Giuditta, Riccobene, Giorgio Maria, Simeone, Francesco, Viola, Salvatore
Other Authors: Istituto di Scienze Polari-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR-ISP), 98122 Messina, Italy, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Dip. Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DISTEM), 90123 Palermo, Italy, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione Roma2, Roma, Italia, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS), 95123 Catania, Italy
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI 2023
Subjects:
cabled observatories
acoustic communication
fin whale
mediterranean subpopulation
Ionian Sea
EMSO
20-Hz songs
Balaenoptera physalus
baleen whales
Fin whale
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2122/16627
https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11112057
Description
Summary:The Mediterranean fin whale emits two types of 20-Hz calls, known as “classic” and “backbeat”, that can be produced in irregular series or in patterned sequences called songs. The analysis of songs is recognized as a meaningful approach to study baleen whales and can be used to investigate populations’ identities. Mediterranean fin whale songs have been studied previously, but only in the western Mediterranean Sea. This work describes the structure of the songs recorded in the Ionian Sea. The inter-note intervals and the alternation of 20-Hz note types were considered to assess the occurrence of recurring patterns. Differences between patterned songs and irregular sequences were also investigated. Acoustic data were sampled continuously for about 10 months by the cabled observatory NEMO-SN1, deployed at 2100 m depth, 25 km offshore Catania; 28 call sequences were isolated and 10 of these were classified as either patterned songs or irregular sequences. Significant differences were observed in the spectral features of classic notes between songs and irregulars; four-note patterns were found repeatedly over different months, indicating a regular structure in detected songs. This work establishes a reference to interpret Mediterranean fin whale songs, and to assess the acoustic behavior of the population. Published 2057 OSA4: Ambiente marino, fascia costiera ed Oceanografia operativa JCR Journal

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