The Acoustic Repertoire of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Cres-Lošinj Archipelago (Croatia): Site Dependent Diel and Seasonal Changes

Abstract

Describing the acoustic repertoire of cetaceans is necessary to understand the functionality of their sounds and the effect anthropogenic pressures have on animals living in a marine environment. This study provides a description of the acoustic repertoire of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Cres-Lošinj archipelago based on continuous 24-h recordings collected from two monitoring stations, both inside and outside the Natura 2000 Site of Community Importance, during an 8-day period in March/April 2020 and a 13-day period in July/August 2020. A total of 1008 h were visually and aurally analyzed to identify vocalizations and investigate diel and seasonal patterns in their parameters. Furthermore, sound pressure levels were calculated for the low (63 Hz–2 kHz) and high (2 kHz–20 kHz) frequency range. Bottlenose dolphins in the Cres-Lošinj archipelago were found to produce whistles, chirps, low frequency narrow-band sounds, burst pulse sounds, and echolocation clicks showing that dolphins are present at both monitoring stations, during both diel and seasonal periods, in a comparable manner. This paper also provides evidence that whistles, chirps, and low frequency narrow-band sounds change their parameters in relation to the background noise in the area, that varies according to diel and seasonal patterns. This suggests a vocal plasticity in the species and a coping strategy to avoid masking of relevant acoustic signals for the local population in the Cres-Lošinj archipelago.