Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

Outi Maria Tervo; Mads Fage Christoffersen; Susan E. Parks; Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen; Peter Teglberg Madsen

doi:10.1121/1.3628327

Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

Outi Maria Tervo, Mads Fage Christoffersen, Susan E. Parks, Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen, Peter Teglberg Madsen

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Simultaneous production of two harmonically independent sounds, the two-voice phenomenon, is a well-known feature in bird song. Some toothed whales can click and whistle simultaneously, and a few studies have also reported simultaneous sound production by baleen whales. The mechanism for sound production in toothed whales has been largely uncovered within the last three decades, whereas mechanism for sound production in baleen whales remains poorly understood. This study provides three lines of evidence from recordings made in 2008 and 2009 in Disko Bay, Western Greenland, strongly indicating that bowhead whales are capable of simultaneous dual frequency sound production. This capability may function to enable more complex singing in an acoustically mediated reproductive advertisement display, as has been suggested for songbirds, and/or have significance in individual recognition.

Original language	English
Journal	The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
Volume	130
Issue number	4
Pages (from-to)	2257-2262
Number of pages	6
ISSN	0001-4966
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1121/1.3628327
Publication status	Published - Oct 2011

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title = "Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)",

abstract = "Simultaneous production of two harmonically independent sounds, the two-voice phenomenon, is a well-known feature in bird song. Some toothed whales can click and whistle simultaneously, and a few studies have also reported simultaneous sound production by baleen whales. The mechanism for sound production in toothed whales has been largely uncovered within the last three decades, whereas mechanism for sound production in baleen whales remains poorly understood. This study provides three lines of evidence from recordings made in 2008 and 2009 in Disko Bay, Western Greenland, strongly indicating that bowhead whales are capable of simultaneous dual frequency sound production. This capability may function to enable more complex singing in an acoustically mediated reproductive advertisement display, as has been suggested for songbirds, and/or have significance in individual recognition.",

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T1 - Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

AU - Tervo, Outi Maria

AU - Christoffersen, Mads Fage

AU - Parks, Susan E.

AU - Kristensen, Reinhardt Møbjerg

AU - Madsen, Peter Teglberg

PY - 2011/10

Y1 - 2011/10

N2 - Simultaneous production of two harmonically independent sounds, the two-voice phenomenon, is a well-known feature in bird song. Some toothed whales can click and whistle simultaneously, and a few studies have also reported simultaneous sound production by baleen whales. The mechanism for sound production in toothed whales has been largely uncovered within the last three decades, whereas mechanism for sound production in baleen whales remains poorly understood. This study provides three lines of evidence from recordings made in 2008 and 2009 in Disko Bay, Western Greenland, strongly indicating that bowhead whales are capable of simultaneous dual frequency sound production. This capability may function to enable more complex singing in an acoustically mediated reproductive advertisement display, as has been suggested for songbirds, and/or have significance in individual recognition.

AB - Simultaneous production of two harmonically independent sounds, the two-voice phenomenon, is a well-known feature in bird song. Some toothed whales can click and whistle simultaneously, and a few studies have also reported simultaneous sound production by baleen whales. The mechanism for sound production in toothed whales has been largely uncovered within the last three decades, whereas mechanism for sound production in baleen whales remains poorly understood. This study provides three lines of evidence from recordings made in 2008 and 2009 in Disko Bay, Western Greenland, strongly indicating that bowhead whales are capable of simultaneous dual frequency sound production. This capability may function to enable more complex singing in an acoustically mediated reproductive advertisement display, as has been suggested for songbirds, and/or have significance in individual recognition.

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DO - 10.1121/1.3628327

M3 - Journal article

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JO - The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

JF - The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America

IS - 4

ER -

Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)

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