Shapiro
Ari D.
Shapiro
Ari D.
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PreprintTransmission loss patterns from acoustic harassment and deterrent devices do not always follow geometrical spreading predictions( 2008-07) Shapiro, Ari D. ; Tougaard, Jakob ; Jorgensen, Poul Boel ; Kyhn, Line A. ; Balle, Jeppe Dalgaard ; Bernardez, Cristina ; Fjalling, Arne ; Karlsen, Junita ; Wahlberg, MagnusAcoustic harassment and deterrent devices have become increasingly popular mitigation tools for negotiating the impacts of marine mammals on fisheries. The rationale for their variable effectiveness remains unexplained but high variability in the surrounding acoustic field may be relevant. In the present study, the sound fields of one acoustic harassment device and three acoustic deterrent devices were measured at three study sites along the Scandinavian coast. Superimposed onto an overall trend of decreasing sound exposure levels with increasing range were large local variations in sound level for all sources in each of the environments. This variability was likely caused by source directionality, inter-ping source level variation and multi-path interference. Rapid and unpredictable variations in the sound level as a function of range deviated from expectations derived from spherical and cylindrical spreading models and conflicted with the classic concept of concentric zones of increasing disturbance with decreasing range. Under such conditions, animals may encounter difficulties when trying to determine the direction to and location of a sound source, which may complicate or jeopardize avoidance responses.
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DatasetMonodon monoceros Baffin Island, Canada 8/13/2004 Animal a Depth Profile(The DTAG Project, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Contact: dtag@whoi.edu, 2010-06-30T12:49:28Z) Shapiro, Ari D. ; Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionLocation: Baffin Island, Canada, Species: Monodon monoceros (Narwhal), Permit: Permit No. SLE-04/05-9 issued by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and animal use protocol FWI2004-2005-10, Water Depth: 160m
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PreprintComparing call-based versus subunit-based methods for categorizing Norwegian killer whale, Orcinus orca, vocalizations( 2010-08-13) Shapiro, Ari D. ; Tyack, Peter L. ; Seneff, StephanieStudents of animal communication face significant challenges when deciding how to categorise calls into subunits, calls, and call series. Here, we use algorithms designed to parse human speech to test different approaches for categorising calls of killer whales. Killer whale vocalisations have traditionally been categorised by humans into discrete call types. These calls often contain internal spectral shifts, periods of silence, and synchronously produced low and high frequency components, suggesting that they may be composed of subunits. We describe and compare three different approaches for modelling Norwegian killer whale calls. The first method considered the whole call as the basic unit of analysis. Inspired by human speech processing techniques, the second and third methods represented the calls in terms of subunits. Subunits may provide a more parsimonious approach to modelling the vocal stream since (1) there were fewer subunits than call types; (2) nearly 75% of all call types shared at least one subunit. We show that contour traces from stereotyped Norwegian killer whale calls yielded similar automatic classification performance using either whole calls or subunits. We also demonstrate that subunits derived from Norwegian stereotyped calls were detected in some Norwegian variable (non-stereotyped) calls as well as the stereotyped calls of other killer whale populations. Further work is required to test whether killer whales use subunits to generate and categorize their vocal repertoire.
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ArticleA versatile pitch tracking algorithm : from human speech to killer whale vocalizations(Acoustical Society of America, 2009-07) Shapiro, Ari D. ; Wang, ChaoIn this article, a pitch tracking algorithm [named discrete logarithmic Fourier transformation-pitch detection algorithm (DLFT-PDA)], originally designed for human telephone speech, was modified for killer whale vocalizations. The multiple frequency components of some of these vocalizations demand a spectral (rather than temporal) approach to pitch tracking. The DLFT-PDA algorithm derives reliable estimations of pitch and the temporal change of pitch from the harmonic structure of the vocal signal. Scores from both estimations are combined in a dynamic programming search to find a smooth pitch track. The algorithm is capable of tracking killer whale calls that contain simultaneous low and high frequency components and compares favorably across most signal to noise ratio ranges to the peak-picking and sidewinder algorithms that have been used for tracking killer whale vocalizations previously.
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ArticleUpside-down swimming behaviour of free-ranging narwhals(BioMed Central, 2007-11-19) Dietz, Rune ; Shapiro, Ari D. ; Bakhtiari, Mehdi ; Orr, Jack ; Tyack, Peter L. ; Richard, Pierre ; Eskesen, Ida Gronborg ; Marshall, GregFree-ranging narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were instrumented in Admiralty Inlet, Canada with both satellite tags to study migration and stock separation and short-term, high-resolution digital archival tags to explore diving and feeding behaviour. Three narwhals were equipped with an underwater camera pod (Crittercam), another individual was equipped with a digital archival tag (DTAG), and a fifth with both units during August 2003 and 2004. Crittercam footage indicated that of the combined 286 minutes of recordings, 12% of the time was spent along the bottom. When the bottom was visible in the camera footage, the narwhals were oriented upside-down 80% of the time (range: 61 100%). The DTAG data (14.6 hours of recordings) revealed that during time spent below the surface, the two tagged narwhals were supine an average of 13% (range: 9–18%) of the time. Roughly 70% of this time spent in a supine posture occurred during the descent. Possible reasons for this upside-down swimming behaviour are discussed. No preference for a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction of roll was observed, discounting the possibility that rolling movements contribute to the asymmetric left-handed helical turns of the tusk.
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ArticlePreliminary evidence for signature vocalizations among free-ranging narwhals (Monodon monoceros)(Acoustical Society of America, 2006-09) Shapiro, Ari D.Animal signature vocalizations that are distinctive at the individual or group level can facilitate recognition between conspecifics and re-establish contact with an animal that has become separated from its associates. In this study, the vocal behavior of two free-ranging adult male narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in Admiralty Inlet, Baffin Island was recorded using digital archival tags. These recording instruments were deployed when the animals were caught and held onshore to attach satellite tags, a protocol that separated them from their groups. The signature content of two vocal categories was considered: (1) combined tonal/pulsed signals, which contained synchronous pulsatile and tonal content; (2) whistles, or frequency modulated tonal signals with harmonic energy. Nonparametric comparisons of the temporal and spectral features of each vocal class revealed significant differences between the two individuals. A separate, cross-correlation measure conducted on the whistles that accounted for overall contour shape and absolute frequency content confirmed greater interindividual compared to intraindividual differences. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that narwhals produce signature vocalizations that may facilitate their reunion with group members once they become separated, but additional data are required to demonstrate this claim more rigorously.
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ArticleStroke frequency, but not swimming speed, is related to body size in free-ranging seabirds, pinnipeds and cetaceans(Royal Society, 2006-12-05) Sato, Katsufumi ; Watanuki, Yutaka ; Takahashi, Akinori ; Miller, Patrick J. O. ; Tanaka, Hideji ; Kawabe, Ryo ; Ponganis, Paul J. ; Handrich, Yves ; Akamatsu, Tomonari ; Watanabe, Yuuki ; Mitani, Yoko ; Costa, Daniel P. ; Bost, Charles-Andre ; Aoki, Kagari ; Amano, Masao ; Trathan, Phil N. ; Shapiro, Ari D. ; Naito, YasuhikoIt is obvious, at least qualitatively, that small animals move their locomotory apparatus faster than large animals: small insects move their wings invisibly fast, while large birds flap their wings slowly. However, quantitative observations have been difficult to obtain from free-ranging swimming animals. We surveyed the swimming behaviour of animals ranging from 0.5kg seabirds to 30000kg sperm whales using animal-borne accelerometers. Dominant stroke cycle frequencies of swimming specialist seabirds and marine mammals were proportional to mass−0.29 (R2=0.99, n=17 groups), while propulsive swimming speeds of 1–2ms−1 were independent of body size. This scaling relationship, obtained from breath-hold divers expected to swim optimally to conserve oxygen, does not agree with recent theoretical predictions for optimal swimming. Seabirds that use their wings for both swimming and flying stroked at a lower frequency than other swimming specialists of the same size, suggesting a morphological trade-off with wing size and stroke frequency representing a compromise. In contrast, foot-propelled diving birds such as shags had similar stroke frequencies as other swimming specialists. These results suggest that muscle characteristics may constrain swimming during cruising travel, with convergence among diving specialists in the proportions and contraction rates of propulsive muscles.
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ArticleFine-scale foraging movements by fish-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) relate to the vertical distributions and escape responses of salmonid prey (Oncorhynchus spp.)(BioMed Central, 2017-02-20) Wright, Brianna M. ; Ford, John K. B. ; Ellis, Graeme M. ; Deecke, Volker ; Shapiro, Ari D. ; Battaile, Brian C. ; Trites, Andrew W.We sought to quantitatively describe the fine-scale foraging behavior of northern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca), a population of fish-eating killer whales that feeds almost exclusively on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). To reconstruct the underwater movements of these specialist predators, we deployed 34 biologging Dtags on 32 individuals and collected high-resolution, three-dimensional accelerometry and acoustic data. We used the resulting dive paths to compare killer whale foraging behavior to the distributions of different salmonid prey species. Understanding the foraging movements of these threatened predators is important from a conservation standpoint, since prey availability has been identified as a limiting factor in their population dynamics and recovery. Three-dimensional dive tracks indicated that foraging (N = 701) and non-foraging dives (N = 10,618) were kinematically distinct (Wilks’ lambda: λ 16 = 0.321, P < 0.001). While foraging, killer whales dove deeper, remained submerged longer, swam faster, increased their dive path tortuosity, and rolled their bodies to a greater extent than during other activities. Maximum foraging dive depths reflected the deeper vertical distribution of Chinook (compared to other salmonids) and the tendency of Pacific salmon to evade predators by diving steeply. Kinematic characteristics of prey pursuit by resident killer whales also revealed several other escape strategies employed by salmon attempting to avoid predation, including increased swimming speeds and evasive maneuvering. High-resolution dive tracks reconstructed using data collected by multi-sensor accelerometer tags found that movements by resident killer whales relate significantly to the vertical distributions and escape responses of their primary prey, Pacific salmon.
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ThesisOrchestration : the movement and vocal behavior of free-ranging Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca)(Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2008-06) Shapiro, Ari D.Studying the social and cultural transmission of behavior among animals helps to identify patterns of interaction and information content flowing between individuals. Killer whales are likely to acquire traits culturally based on their population-specific feeding behaviors and group-distinctive vocal repertoires. I used digital tags to explore the contributions of individual Norwegian killer whales to group carousel feeding and the relationships between vocal and non-vocal activity. Periods of tail slapping to incapacitate herring during feeding were characterized by elevated movement variability, heightened vocal activity and call types containing additional orientation cues. Tail slaps produced by tagged animals were identified using a rapid pitch change and occurred primarily within 20m of the surface. Two simultaneously tagged animals maneuvered similarly when tail slapping within 60s of one another, indicating that the position and composition of the herring ball influenced their behavior. Two types of behavioral sequence preceding the tight circling of carousel feeding were apparent. First, the animals engaged in periods of directional swimming. They were silent in 2 of 3 instances, suggesting they may have located other foraging groups by eavesdropping. Second, tagged animals made broad horizontal loops as they dove in a manner consistent with corralling. All 4 of these occasions were accompanied by vocal activity, indicating that this and tail slapping may benefit from social communication. No significant relationship between the call types and the actual movement measurements was found. Killer whale vocalizations traditionally have been classified into discrete call types. Using human speech processing techniques, I considered that calls are alternatively comprised of shared segments that can be recombined to form the stereotyped and variable repertoire. In a classification experiment, the characterization of calls using the whole call, a set of unshared segments, or a set of shared segments yielded equivalent performance. The shared segments required less information to parse the same vocalizations, suggesting a more parsimonious system of representation. This closer examination of the movements and vocalizations of Norwegian killer whales, combined with future work on ontogeny and transmission, will inform our understanding of whether and how culture plays a role in achieving population-specific behaviors in this species.
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DatasetMonodon monoceros Baffin Island, Canada 8/11/2004 Animal a Depth Profile(The DTAG Project, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Contact: dtag@whoi.edu, 2010-06-30T12:49:27Z) Shapiro, Ari D. ; Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionLocation: Baffin Island, Canada, Species: Monodon monoceros (Narwhal), Permit: Permit No. SLE-04/05-9 issued by the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and animal use protocol FWI2004-2005-10, Water Depth: 160m