Communication Flashcards
How does communication differ between terrestrial and marine environments?
terr = see farther than hear marine = hear farther than see
what types of communication do marine mammals use? what is most common?
visual, tactile, likely chemical.
mostly acoustic
what is acoustic communication?
vocalizations and sounds generated by parts of the body
echolocation is used for what? and what type of whales?
used to forage and explore envr
used by toothed whales
humpback song
innate or learned?
innate
dolphin and seals ability to mimic human sounds
innate or learned?
learned
killer whales and humpback whales share same calls
innate or learned?
likely innate
what marine mammals have long-term stability of call types?
humpback whales killer whales bearded seals harp seals bottlenose seals
Define graded signals
shorter distance communication
sometimes redundant with other signals to reduce ambiguity in message
Define stereotyped signals
longer distances
less likely to become ambiguous during propagation
Do any mammals have individual variation in their calls?
Bottlenose dolphins with ‘signature whistles’
remain in similar structure for entire life
Killer whales, pods have different call types that are learned
some toothed whales produce calls that vary geographically
several baleen whales
Song in humpbacks:
M and F?
role?
consistent throughout year?
only males
likely breeding
content changes within and between breeding seasons
function of most calls in HW are mostly unknown, what are some associated with?
foraging, mother-offspring contact, aggression.
what is the hypothesized difference between lower freq. and higher freq. calls?
lower = more stereotyped for longer distances
higher, more variable = shorter distance communications
