Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Anna Selbmann (1), Patrick J. O. Miller (2), Paul J. Wensveen (1), Jörundur Svavarsson (1), Filipa I. P. Samarra (3)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. University of Iceland, 2. University of St Andrews, 3. University of Iceland's Institute of Research Centres, Vestmannaeyjar
Kynnir / Presenter: Anna Selbmann
Icelandic killer whales (Orcinus orca) are known to produce a range of sounds, in particular during feeding. Such acoustic signals can be repeated or combined to expand a limited repertoire and thus increase the variety of information that can be communicated. Here we investigate call combinations produced by Icelandic killer whales, using acoustic recordings from 22 biologging tags. A first order Markov model showed that transition probabilities between call categories are significantly different from random, with repetitions and specific call combinations occurring more often than expected. These call combinations were composed of two or three calls and could be assigned to one of three call combination clusters. Most notable was one of the call combination clusters, consisting of six call categories that were combined into sequences following an ordering paradigm. Although different combinations were generated there were clear rules regarding which were the first and last call types used, and combinations were highly stereotyped. Call combinations were recorded over several years, from different individuals, and several social clusters. Most call combinations were produced outside of feeding contexts, but their function remains unclear and further research is required to determine their function and whether these combinations could be group specific.