Audiogram of a Stranded Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon Densirostris) Measured using Auditory Evoked Potentials

摘要

Quantifying and understanding the impact of anthropogenic sound on marine mammals has been the focus of many researchers both in laboratory settings as well as in the field. This study presents the audiogram of a sub- adult Blainville's beaked whale that stranded in Hawaii. The hearing measurements were conducted using the non-invasive auditory brainstem response technique and a total of 11 sinusoidally amplitude modulated tones were tested ranging from 5.6 to 160 kHz. The audiogram data indicated that the region of best hearing was found between 40 and 50 kHz with thresholds below 50 dB. These results match the frequency range obtained from the hearing measurements of a Gervais' beaked whale previously tested using contact acoustic stimulation and emphasize the importance of obtaining rapid hearing measurements on live stranded animals to improve the understanding of poorly known species.