An open-access dataset of odontocete acoustic signals from the Madeira archipelago

Acoustic monitoring provides a powerful, non-invasive approach for studying marine ecosystems, offering insights into species presence, behaviour, and habitat use. Odontocetes rely heavily on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging, making their vocalisations key indicators of ecological and social processes. This study presents a curated, open-access dataset of odontocete acoustic recordings collected between 2022 and 2025 in the waters of the Madeira Archipelago, Eastern North Atlantic. The dataset helps to address a major geographic gap in publicly available bioacoustics resources from the Macaronesian region, a recognized biodiversity hotspot in the North Atlantic. Acoustic data were obtained using a SoundTrap 300HF hydrophone recording at a sampling rate of 288 kHz, during boat-based surveys of visually confirmed single-species sightings at close range. The collection includes annotated recordings from seven odontocete species, encompassing whistles, broadband pulsed calls and echolocation clicks. Each audio file is accompanied by detailed metadata that describes the species identity, group size, behaviour, and environmental context. This resource supports comparative bioacoustics research and the development of automated tools for passive acoustic monitoring.