Comparing call-based versus subunit-based methods for categorizing Norwegian killer whale, Orcinus orca, vocalizations

摘要: Students of animal communication face significant challenges when deciding how to categorize calls into subunits, and call series. Here, we use algorithms designed parse human speech test different approaches for categorizing killer whales. Killer whale vocalizations have traditionally been categorized by humans discrete types. These often contain internal spectral shifts, periods silence synchronously produced low- high-frequency components, suggesting that they may be composed subunits. We describe compare three modelling Norwegian calls. The first method considered the whole as basic unit analysis. Inspired speech-processing techniques, second third methods represented in terms Subunits provide a more parsimonious approach vocal stream since (1) there were fewer subunits than types (2) nearly 75% all shared at least one subunit. show contour traces from stereotyped yielded similar automatic classification performance using either or also demonstrate derived detected some variable (nonstereotyped) well other populations. Further work is required whether whales generate their repertoire.