(
2016)
Mooney, T. Aran; Castellote, Manuel; Quakenbush, Lori T.; Hobbs, Roderick; Goertz, Caroline; Gaglione, Eric
We measured the hearing abilities of seven wild beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
during a collection-and-release experiment in Bristol Bay, AK, USA. Here we summarize the
methods and initial data from one animal, discussing the implications of this experiment.
Audiograms were collected from 4-150 kHz. The animal with the lowest threshold heard best
at 80 kHz and demonstrated overall good hearing from 22-110 kHz. The robustness of the
methodology and data suggest AEP audiograms can be incorporated into future collection-and-release health assessments. Such methods may provide high-quality results for multiple
animals facilitating population-level audiograms and hearing measures in new species.
