title: Aerial low-frequency hearing in captive and free-ranging harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) measured using auditory brainstem responses.
abstract: The hearing sensitivity of 18 free-ranging and 10 captive harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to aerial sounds was measured in the presence of typical environmental noise through auditory brainstem response measurements. A focus was put on the comparative hearing sensitivity at low frequencies. Low- and mid-frequency thresholds appeared to be elevated in both captive and free-ranging seals, but this is likely due to masking effects and limitations of the methodology used. The data also showed individual variability in hearing sensitivity with probable age-related hearing loss found in two old harbour seals. These results suggest that the acoustic sensitivity of free-ranging animals was not negatively affected by the soundscape they experienced in the wild.
authors: Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. klaus.lucke@curtin.edu.au.|Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands. klaus.lucke@curtin.edu.au.
authors: Klaus
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5414-3715
authors: K
authors: Lucke
authors: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
authors: Gordon D
authors: GD
authors: Hastie
authors: Zoo Duisburg, Duisburg, Germany.
authors: Kerstin
authors: K
authors: Ternes
authors: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
authors: Bernie
authors: B
authors: McConnell
authors: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
authors: Simon
authors: S
authors: Moss
authors: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
authors: Deborah J F
authors: DJ
authors: Russell
authors: Tierpark Nordhorn, Nordhorn, Germany.
authors: Heike
authors: H
authors: Weber
authors: Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.
authors: Vincent M
authors: VM
authors: Janik
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000502:physiology*; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000502:physiology*; D001299:Audiometry; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D046049:Phoca / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis
keywords: ABR; Harbour seal; Hearing; Low frequency; Phoca vitulina