SOUNDS OF SEX AND DEATH IN THE SEA: BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN WHISTLES SUPPRESS MATING CHORUSES OF SILVER PERCH

ABSTRACT

Prey often exhibit avoidance behaviors when predators are present. We observed diminished loudness of mating choruses of male silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura in spawning areas when vocalizing bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, which hunt fish acoustically, were present. Experimental playback of bottlenose dolphin sounds revealed that male silver perch mating calls were reduced by an average of 9 dB. This “acoustical avoidance” behavior, demonstrated previously for interactions involving bats hunting insects and frogs, may also be a common phenomenon in acoustically mediated predator-prey interactions in the sea.

Keywords:

• Underwater acoustics
• marine mammal vocalizations
• soniferous fish signals
• predator avoidance
• playback experiment