Arctic Marine Mammal Acoustics
This page lists example sounds and spectrograms from the different marine mammals at our study site at Sachs Harbour, NWT. For each example sound, I list the spectrogram with the sound underneath. If you have example calls for other Arctic marine mammals from other locations that you would like to contribute, please contact me.
In case you are new to animal acoustics, a spectrogram is a simple way to visualize the sound that we hear. Frequency (or pitch), which is measured in hertz (Hz) or kilo-hertz (kHz, 1 kHz = 1000 Hz) runs along the y axis (vertical), and time along the x axis (horizontal). Dark colours on the spectrogram represent louder sounds.
In case you are new to animal acoustics, a spectrogram is a simple way to visualize the sound that we hear. Frequency (or pitch), which is measured in hertz (Hz) or kilo-hertz (kHz, 1 kHz = 1000 Hz) runs along the y axis (vertical), and time along the x axis (horizontal). Dark colours on the spectrogram represent louder sounds.
Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus)
Bowhead whales are the only Mysticete whale (i.e. baleen whale) at our site, and tend to make low frequency sounds, with typical calls at 50 Hz, 200 Hz, and 400 Hz. Bowheads at other sites also sing songs with repeated phrasing and some high frequencies up to 4 kHz, but this is typically during migration and in the winter, and does not seem to occur at our site. For an example of bowhead songs, check out Voices in the Sea, and click on Call 3.
|
|
|
|
Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
Beluga whales are the main Odontocete whale (toothed whale) at our site, although their have been some killer whales observed as well. Belugas have many different types of vocalizations, ranging from less that 1 kHz to greater than 6 kHz, plus they also have echolocation clicks between 30 and 50 kHz. Their clicks are out of the range of our acoustic equipment, but I'll show some typical low to mid frequency vocalizations from our site. This is only a fraction of the different types of calls made by belugas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bearded Seals (Erignathus barbatus)
Bearded seals vocalizations are a remarkable sound from the Arctic, and can be heard through the ice throughout the winter and into the spring. A single call can last over 60 seconds, and can range from 200 Hz or lower to as 6 kHz or higher. Examples below show choruses of bearded seals calling at once, and show a few different types of vocalizations.
|
|
Ringed Seals (Pusa hispida)
Ringed seals are generally thought to be a very quiet species, but they do have some vocalizations.
|
|
|
|