Date:
May 31, 2017
Source:
University of Southern Denmark
Summary:
Marine birds can hear under water, scientists have shown for
the first time. This offers new possibilities for the protection of marine
birds in trafficked waters.
Share:
FULL STORY
The research cormorant Loke.
Credit: University of Southern
Denmark
For the first time, researchers have
shown that a marine birds can hear under water. This offers new possibilities
for the protection of marine birds in trafficked waters. Seals, whales and
other marine animals can hear under water. The cormorant also has this ability,
which new research from University of Southern Denmark (SDU) shows.
According to the biologists it makes
good sense, that cormorants can hear under water -- the environment where it
finds most of its food.
About every tenth bird species --
ca. 800 species -- in the world hunts under water, and it may turn out that
they too can also hear under water.
The sound of fish
Researchers Kirstin Anderson Hansen,
Alyssa Maxwell, Ursula Siebert, Ole Næsbye Larsen and Magnus Wahlberg from the
Department of Biology at University of Southern Denmark have tested the
cormorant, Loke's, hearing. Loke lives at SDU's marine biology research station
in the Danish town Kerteminde.
"Hearing under water must be a
very useful sense for cormorants. They depend on being able to find food, even
if the water is not clear, or if they live in the Arctic regions where it is
dark for long periods at a time," says Kirstin Hansen, Ph.D.
Loke's hearing abilities are on a
par with the hearing of the toothed whale and the seal.
The sound of humans
He can hear sounds ranging between 1
and 4 kHz, and it is in this range that fish such as sculpin and herring
produce sounds. Both sculpin and herring are on the cormorant's menu.
1 -- 4 kHz is not only the range in
which fish sounds are found. There are also various human-made sounds found in
this range.
"Human-made sounds can disturb
the ocean's animals to such an extent that they cannot find food or communicate
with each other. It is a known problem for porpoises and seals for instance,
and now it is also a potential problem for birds. It is certainly something
that we should be more aware of, says Magnus Wahlberg, Associate Professor.
Human-made sounds can be everything
from spinning wind turbines and ship traffic to water scooters and drilling
platforms.
The SDU biologists are now planning
more trials, and the next birds to be tested will probably be the common murres
and puffins.
This story on video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-eusRAAyw
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Southern Denmark. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
No comments:
Post a Comment