Mysterious bio-duck sound attributed to the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis).
For decades, the bio-duck sound has been recorded in the Southern Ocean, but the animal producing it has remained a mystery. Heard mainly during austral winter in the Southern Ocean, this ubiquitous sound has been recorded in Antarctic waters and contemporaneously off the Australian west coast. Here, we present conclusive evidence that the bio-duck sound is produced by Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). We analysed data from multi-sensor acoustic recording tags that included intense bio-duck sounds as well as singular downsweeps that have previously been attributed to this species. This finding allows the interpretation of a wealth of long-term acoustic recordings for this previously acoustically concealed species, which will improve our understanding of the distribution, abundance and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales. This is critical information for a species that inhabits a difficult to access sea-ice environment that is changing rapidly in some regions and has been the subject of contentious lethal sampling efforts and ongoing international legal action.
Integrated Statistics, , 172 Shearwater Way, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA.
Denise
D
Risch
Nicholas J
NJ
Gales
Jason
J
Gedamke
Lars
L
Kindermann
Douglas P
DP
Nowacek
Andrew J
AJ
Read
Ursula
U
Siebert
Ilse C
IC
Van Opzeeland
Sofie M
SM
Van Parijs
Ari S
AS
Friedlaender
D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D050636:Minke Whale / Q000502:physiology*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D014828:Vocalization, Animal
Antarctic minke whale; Balaenoptera bonaerensis; Southern Ocean; acoustic monitoring; bio-duck