Echolocation signals of wild Atlantic spotted dolphin ( Stenella frontalis )

Abstract

An array of four hydrophones arranged in a symmetrical star configuration was used to measure the echolocation signals of the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas. The spacing between the center hydrophone and the other hydrophones was 45.7 cm. A video camera was attached to the array and a video tape recorder was time synchronized with the computer used to digitize the acoustic signals. The echolocation signals had bi-modal frequency spectra with a low-frequency peak between 40 and 50 kHz and a high-frequency peak between 110 and 130 kHz. The low-frequency peak was dominant when the signal the source level was low and the high-frequency peak dominated when the source level was high. Peak-to-peak source levels as high as 210 dB re 1 μPa were measured. The source level varied in amplitude approximately as a function of the one-way transmission loss for signals traveling from the animals to the array. The characteristics of the signals were similar to those of captive Tursiops truncatus, Delphinapterus leucas and Pseudorca crassidens measured in open waters under controlled conditions.