Have you ever wanted to turn down the volume at a deafening concert or noisy bar? Envy the whale: a new study finds that toothed whales can reduce their own auditory sensitivity when they expect a loud sound. The work is (presented) at this week’s Acoustics 2012 meeting.
Whales and dolphins rely on their responsive hearing to interpret returning echolocation clicks. Previous research suggested that these (marine) mammals could dull their hearing before uttering outgoing echolocation clicks, which are very loud. Could they use the same coping mechanism forexternal noises?
To find out, researchers trained a false killer whale that a loud noise would always follow a briefwarning signal. Then, they attached suction-cup sensors to the outside of the whale’s head and played the signal. The sensors (measured) brainwaves that indicated the whale did reduce its hearing sensitivity in expectation of a clamor. The researchers hope to test other species as well.
Loud noises from ships can disturb whales. To (accommodate) marine life, perhaps vessels could emit signals before making a ruckus, warning whales to tune us out.
