Non-song vocalizations of pygmy blue whales in Geographe Bay, Western Australia
A Recalde-Salas1, C P Salgado Kent1, M J G Parsons1
1Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia angela.recaldesalas@uqconnect.edu.au, C.Salgado@cmst.curtin.edu.au, Miles.Parsons@curtin.edu.au, sarah.marley@gmail.com, R.McCauley@cmst.curtin.edu.au.
Abstract:
Non-song vocalizations of migrating pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) in Western Australia are described. Simultaneous land-based visual observations and underwater acoustic recordings detected 27 groups in Geographe Bay, WA over 2011 to 2012. Six different vocalizations were recorded that were not repeated in a pattern or in association with song, and thus were identified as non-song vocalizations. Five of these were not previously described for this population. Their acoustic characteristics and context are presented. Given that 56% of groups vocalized, 86% of which produced non-song vocalizations and 14% song units, the inclusion of non-song vocalizations in passive-acoustic monitoring is proposed.
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