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Related Experiment Videos

Sperm whale clicks: directionality and source level revisited.

B Møhl1, M Wahlberg, P T Madsen

  • 1Department of Zoophysiology, Arhus University, Denmark.

The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
|January 21, 2000
PubMed
Summary
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Sperm whale clicks are more powerful and directional than previously thought, supporting theories of their nose as a sophisticated sound-generating organ for potential sonar use. New data challenges earlier findings, suggesting underestimation of the whale's acoustic capabilities.

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Bioacoustics
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Sperm whales possess a hypertrophied nose, hypothesized to be a sound-generating organ.
  • Previous studies on sperm whale clicks suggested limited sound intensity and directionality, not fully supporting this theory.
  • A discrepancy exists between theoretical expectations of the nose's sound-generating capacity and published click data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To gather more representative data on sperm whale click characteristics.
  • To reassess the sound-generating capabilities of the sperm whale's nasal complex.
  • To investigate the potential for high-intensity and directional sound production in sperm whales.

Main Methods:

  • Deployment of a five-hydrophone array across a 1 km span in the Norwegian continental shelf.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Data collection during summers of 1997 and 1998.
  • Analysis of recorded sperm whale click source levels and directionality.

    • Main Results:

    • Recorded sperm whale click source levels up to 223 dB re 1 microPa peRMS.
    • Observed source level differences of up to 35 dB for the same click in different directions, indicating high directionality.
    • These findings suggest significantly greater sound intensity and directionality than previously reported.

    Conclusions:

    • Published data on sperm whale clicks may underestimate the capabilities of their sound-generating mechanism.
    • The high intensity and directionality of clicks support the theory of the nose as a powerful sound generator.
    • Sperm whale clicks may function as a form of biological sonar, consistent with the Norris and Harvey theory.