Introduction to Acoustics

Table 20.2 Characteristics of mysticete whales vocalizations
Cetacean Acoustics 20.4 Acoustic Signals of Mysticetes 829
Species Signal type Frequency Dominat Source level References
of whales limits(HZ) frequency (dB re 1 µPa)
(Hz) at 1 m
Blue FM moans 12.5 – 200 16–25 188 Cummings, Thompson [20.150],
Edds [20.151]
Songs 16 – 60 16– 60 – McDonald et al. [20.152]
Bowhead Tonal moans 25 –900 100 – 400 129 – 178 Cummings, Holliday [20.149];
Pulses 25 –3500 152 – 185 Wursig, Clark [20.148]
Songs 20 – 500 158 – 189 Cummings, Holliday [20.149];
Ljungblad et al. [20.15]
Bryde‘s FM moans 70 – 245 124 – 132 152 – 174 Cummings et al. [20.153];
Edds et al. [20.154]
Pulsed moans 100 - 930 165 – 900 – Edds et al. [20.154]
Discrete pulses 700- 950 700 – 950 – Edds et al. [20.154]
Finback FM moans 14 – 118 20 160 – 186 Watkins [20.145], Edds [20.155],
Cummings, Thompson [20.156]
Tonals 34 – 150 34 – 150 – Edds [20.155]
Songs 17 – 25 17–25 186 Watkins [20.145]
Gray Pulses 100 – 2000 300 – 825 – Dalheim et al. [20.157];
Crane et al. [20.158]
FM moans 250 – 300 250 – 300 152 Cummings et al. [20.159];
Dalheim et al. [20.157]
LF-FM-moans 125 – 1250 < 430 175 Cummings et al. [20.159];
Dalheim et al. [20.157]
PM pulses 150 – 1570 225 – 600 Cummings et al. [20.159];
Dalheim et al. [20.157]
Complex moans 35 – 360 35 – 360 Cummings et al. [20.159]
Humpback Grunts (pulse & FM) 25 – 1900 25 – 1900 176 Thompson et al. [20.160]
Pulses 25 – 89 25–80 144 – 174 Thompson et al. [20.160]
Songs 30 – 8000 120 – 4000 – Payne, Payne [20.161]
Minke FM tones 60 – 130 60 – 130 165 Schevill, Watkins [20.162],
Thumps 100 – 200 100 – 200 – Winn, Perkins [20.163]
Grunts 60 – 140 60 – 140 151 – 175 Winn, Perkins [20.163]
Ratchets 850 – 6000 850 – Winn, Perkins [20.163]
Right-N Moans < 400 – – Schevill, Watkins [20.162]
Right-S Tonal 30 – 1250 160 – 500 – Cummings et al. [20.164],
Clark [20.129, 165]
Pulses 30 – 2200 50 – 500 172 – 187 Cummings et al. [20.164],
Clark [20.129, 165]
Sei FM sweeps 1500 – 3500 1500 – 3500 – Knowlton et al. [20.166]
a relatively regular sequence of repetitions at intervals
ranging from about 7–26 s, with bouts that can last as
long as 32.5 h. During a bout, periodic rests averaged
about 115 s at roughly 15 min intervals and sometimes
longer irregular gaps between 20 and 120 min were observed.
There was also some variability in the 20 Hz
signals in that they were never exactly replicated.
The songs of the blue whales (balaenoptera
musculus) have been observed by a number of researchers
[20.143, 152, 167]. A typical two-part blue
whale song time series and corresponding spectrogram
isshowninFig.20.18. The spectrogram of the first part
of the two part song had six spectral lines separated
by about 1.5 Hz. This type of spectrogram is typically
generated by pulses. Cummings and Thompson [20.150]
previously reported on the pulsive nature of some blue
whale moans. The second part of the song was tonal in
nature with a slight FM down sweep varying from 19 Hz
to 18 Hz in the first 3–4 s. The 18 Hz tone is then carried
until the last 5 s when there is an abrupt step down to
Part F 20.4