Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) whistles were documented for the first time during 2003–2013 in Babitonga Bay estuary, South Brazil, together with burst pulses. Recordings were made from small boats under good sea conditions, and recording equipment that allowed analysis of sounds up to 96 kHz. The recordings were made in the presence of 2–31 franciscana dolphins. During 23 h and 53 min, 90 whistles and 51 burst pulse series were recorded. Although Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) inhabit nearby waters, none were observed in the area during the recordings. The authors recorded ten types of whistles. The initial frequency varied between 1.6 and 94.6 kHz, and the final frequency varied between 0.7 and 94.5 kHz; the authors were not able to determine if dolphin whistles exceeded the 96 kHz recording limit of the authors' equipment, although that is likely, especially because some whistles showed harmonics. Whistle duration varied between 0.008 and 0.361 s. Burst pulses had initial frequencies between 69 and 82.1 kHz (77 ± 3.81). These results showed that P. blainvillei produces whistles and burst pulses, although they seem to be produced infrequently.

1.
Au
,
W. W. L.
(
2000
). “
Hearing in whales and dolphins: An overview
,” in
Hearing by Whales and Dolphins
, edited by
W. W. L.
Au
,
A. N.
Popper
, and
R. R.
Fay
(
Springer-Verlag
,
New York
), pp.
1
42
.
3.
Azevedo
,
A. F.
,
Flach
,
L.
,
Bisi
,
T. L.
,
Andrade
,
L. G.
,
Dorneles
,
P. R.
, and
Lailson-Brito
,
J.
(
2010
). “
Whistles emitted by Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in southeastern Brazil
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
127
,
2646
2651
.
2.
Azevedo
,
A. F.
, and
Van Sluys
,
M.
(
2005
). “
Whistles of tucuxi dolphins (Sotalia fluviatilis) in Brazil: Comparisons among populations
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
117
,
1456
1464
.
4.
Baptista
,
L. F.
, and
Gaunt
,
S. L. L.
(
1997
). “
Bioacoustics as a tool in conservation studies
,” in
Behavioral Approaches to Conservation in the Wild
, edited by
J. R.
Clemmons
and
R.
Buchholz
(
Cambridge University Press
,
Cambridge
), pp.
212
242
.
5.
Boisseau
,
O.
(
2005
). “
Quantifying the acoustic repertoire of a population: The vocalizations of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in Fiordland, New Zealand
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
117
,
2318
2329
.
6.
Bordino
,
P.
,
Kraus
,
S.
,
Albareda
,
D.
,
Fazio
,
A.
,
Palmerio
,
A.
,
Mendez
,
M.
, and
Botta
,
S.
(
2002
). “
Reducing incidental mortality of franciscana dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei with acoustic warning devices attached to fishing nets
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
18
,
833
842
.
7.
Busnel
,
R. G.
,
Dziedzic
,
A.
, and
Alcuri
,
G.
(
1974
). “
Études preliminaries de signaux acoustiques du Pontoporia blainvillei Gervais et d′Orbigny (Cetacea, Platanistidae)” [“Preliminary studies of acoustic signals of Pontoporia blainvillei, Gervais and d'Orbigny (Cetacea, Platanistidae)”]
,
Mammalia
38
,
449
459
.
8.
Cassens
,
I.
,
Vicario
,
S.
,
Waddell
,
V. G.
,
Balchowsky
,
H.
,
Van Belle
,
D.
,
Ding
,
W.
,
Fan
,
C.
,
Lal Mohan
,
R. S.
,
Simões-Lopes
,
P. C.
,
Bastida
,
R.
,
Meyer
,
A.
,
Stanhope
,
M. J.
, and
Milinkovitch
,
M. C.
(
2000
). “
Independent adaptation to riverine habitats allowed survival of ancient cetacean lineages
,”
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
97
,
11343
11347
.
9.
Cremer
,
M. J.
,
Hardt
,
F. A. S.
,
Tonello-Júnior
,
A. J.
, and
Simões-Lopes
,
P. C.
(
2011
). “
Distribution and status of the Guiana dolphin Sotalia guianensis (Cetacea, Delphinidae) population in Babitonga bay, Southern Brazil
,”
Zool. Stud.
50
,
327
337
.
10.
Cremer
,
M. J.
, and
Simões-Lopes
,
P. C.
(
2005
). “
The occurrence of Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais & d′Orbigny) (Cetacea, Pontoporiidae) in an estuarine area in southern Brazil, in Babitonga bay, southern Brazil
,”
Revta. Bras. Zoo.
25
,
717
723
.
100.
Cremer
,
M. J.
, and
Simões-Lopes
,
P. C.
(
2008
). “
Distribution, abundance and density estimates of franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea: Pontoporiidae), in Babitonga bay, southern Brazil
,”
Revta. Bras. Zoo.
25
,
397
402
.
11.
Crespo
,
E. A.
(
2002
). “
Franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei
,” in
Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals
, edited by
W. F.
Perrin
,
B.
Wursig
, and
J. G. M.
Thewissen
(
Academic Press
,
San Diego, CA
), pp.
482
485
.
12.
Dawson
,
S. M.
(
1991
). “
Clicks and communication: The behavioral and social contexts of Hector's dolphin vocalizations
,”
Ethology
88
,
265
276
.
13.
Dawson
,
S. M.
(
1994
). “
The potential for reducing entanglement of dolphins and porpoises with acoustic modifications to gillnets
,”
Rep. Int. Whal. Commn.
15
,
573
578
.
14.
Götz
,
T.
, and
Janik
,
V. M.
(
2013
). “
Acoustic deterrent devices to prevent pinniped depredation: Efficiency, conservation concerns and possible solutions
,”
Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.
492
,
285
302
.
15.
Herman
,
L. M.
, and
Tavolga
,
W. N.
(
1980
). “
The communication systems of cetaceans
,” in
Cetacean Behavior: Mechanisms and Functions
, edited by
L. M.
Herman
(
Wiley
,
New York
), pp.
149
209
.
17.
Janik
,
V. M.
(
2009
). “
Acoustic communication in delphinids
,”
Adv. Study Behav.
40
,
123
157
.
18.
Janik
,
V. M.
,
Sayigh
,
L. S.
, and
Wells
,
R. S.
(
2006
). “
Signature whistle contour shape conveys identity information to bottlenose dolphins
,”
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
103
,
8293
8297
.
19.
Janik
,
V. M.
, and
Slater
,
P. J. B.
(
1998
). “
Context -specific use suggests that bottlenose dolphin signature whistles are cohesion calls
,”
Anim. Behav.
56
,
829
838
.
20.
King
,
S.
,
Sayigh
,
L.
,
Wells
,
R.
,
Fellner
,
W.
, and
Janik
,
V.
(
2013
). “
Vocal copying of individually distinctive signature whistles in bottlenose dolphins
,”
Proc. R. Soc. B
280
,
1
9
.
21.
Lammers
,
M. O.
,
Au
,
W. W. L.
, and
Herzing
,
H. L.
(
2003
). “
The broadband social acoustic signaling behavior of spinner and spotted dolphins
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
114
,
1629
1639
.
22.
Lammers
,
M. O.
,
Schotten
,
M.
, and
Au
,
W. W. L.
(
2006
). “
The spatial context of free-ranging Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) producing acoustic signals
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
119
,
1244
1250
.
23.
Madsen
,
P. T.
,
Carder
,
D. A.
,
Bedholm
,
K.
, and
Ridgway
,
S. H.
(
2005
). “
Porpoise clicks from a sperm whale nose—Convergent evolution of 130 kHz pulses in toothed whale sonars?
,”
Bioacoustics
15
,
195
206
.
24.
May-Collado
,
L. J.
,
Agnarsson
,
I.
, and
Wartzok
,
D.
(
2007
). “
Phylogenetic review of tonal sound production in whales in relation to sociality
,”
BMC Evol. Biol.
7
,
136
.
25.
May-Collado
,
L. J.
, and
Wartzok
,
D.
(
2007
). “
The freshwater dolphin Inia geoffrensis produce high frequency whistles
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
121
,
1203
1212
.
26.
May-Collado
,
L. J.
, and
Wartzok
,
D.
(
2009
). “
A characterization of Guyana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) whistles from Costa Rica: The importance of broadband recording systems
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
125
,
1202
1213
.
27.
Melcón
,
M. L.
,
Failla
,
M.
, and
Iñiguez
,
M. A.
(
2012
). “
Echolocation behavior of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) in the wild
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
131
,
EL448
EL453
.
28.
Mendez
,
M.
,
Rosenbaum
,
H. C.
,
Subramaniam
,
A.
,
Yackulic
,
C.
, and
Bordino
,
P.
(
2010a
). “
Isolation by environmental distance in mobile marine species: Molecular ecology of franciscana dolphins at their southern range
,”
Mol. Ecol.
19
,
2212
2228
.
29.
Mendez
,
M.
,
Rosenbaum
,
H. C.
,
Wells
,
R. S.
,
Stamper
,
M. A.
, and
Bordino
,
P.
(
2010b
). “
Genetic evidence highlights serious demographic impacts of by-catch in cetaceans
,”
PLoS One
5
,
E15550
.
30.
Morisaka
,
T.
, and
Connor
,
R. C.
(
2007
). “
Predation by killer whales (Orcinus orca) and the evolution of whistle loss and narrow-band high frequency clicks in odontocetes
,”
J. Evol. Biol.
20
,
1439
1458
.
31.
Morisaka
,
T.
,
Shinohara
,
M.
, and
Taki
,
M.
(
2005a
). “
Underwater sounds produced by neonatal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): I. Acoustic characteristics
,”
Aquat. Mamm.
31
,
248
257
.
32.
Morisaka
,
T.
,
Shinohara
,
M.
, and
Taki
,
M.
(
2005b
). “
Underwater sounds produced by neonatal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): II. Potential function.
,”
Aquat. Mamm.
31
,
258
265
.
33.
Podos
,
J.
,
da Silva
,
V. M. F.
, and
Rossi- Santos
,
M. R.
(
2002
). “
Vocalizations of Amazon River dolphins, Inia geoffrensis: Insights into the evolutionary origins of delphinid whistles
,”
Ethology
108
,
601
612
.
34.
Praderi
,
R.
,
Pinedo
,
M. C.
, and
Crespo
,
E. A.
(
1989
). “
Conservation and management of Pontoporia blainvillei in Uruguay, Brazil and Argentina
,” in
Biology and Conservation of the River Dolphins
, edited by
W. F.
Perrin
,
R. L.
Brownell
, Jr.
,
Zhou
Kaya
, and
Liu
Jiankang
(
IUCN
,
Gland
), pp.
52
56
.
35.
Rasmussen
,
M. H.
, and
Miller
,
L. A.
(
2002
). “
Whistles and clicks from white-beaked dolphins Lagenorhynchus albirostris (Gray 1846), recorded in Faxafloi Bay, Iceland
,”
Aquat. Mamm.
28
,
78
89
.
36.
Reyes Reyes
,
M. V.
,
Tossenberger
,
V. P.
,
Iñiguez
,
M. A.
,
Hildebrand
,
J. A.
, and
Melcón
,
M. L.
(
2016
). “
Communication sounds of Commerson's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) and contextual use of vocalizations
,”
Mar. Mam. Sci.
32
,
1219
1233
.
37.
Rodríguez
,
D.
,
Rivero
,
L.
, and
Bastida
,
R.
(
2002
). “
Feeding ecology of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in marine and estuarine waters of Argentina
,”
Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Mamm.
1
,
77
93
.
38.
Samarra
,
F. I. P.
,
Deecke
,
V. B.
,
Vinding
,
K.
,
Rasmussen
,
M. H.
,
Swift
,
R. J.
, and
Miller
,
P. J. O.
(
2010
). “
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) produce ultrasonic whistles
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
128
,
EL205
EL210
.
39.
Tellechea
,
J. S.
, and
Norbis
,
W.
(
2014
). “
Sound characteristics of two neonatal franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei)
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
30
,
1573
1580
.
40.
Tyack
,
P. L.
, and
Miller
,
E. H.
(
2002
). “
Vocal anatomy, acoustic communication and echolocation
,” in
Marine Mammal Biology: An Evolutionary Approach
, edited by
A. R.
Hoelzel
(
Blackwell Science
,
Malden
), pp.
142
184
.
43.
Van Parijs
,
S. M.
,
Smith
,
J.
, and
Corkeron
,
P. J.
(
2002
). “
Using calls to estimate the abundance of inshore dolphins: A case study with Pacific humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis
,”
J. App. Ecol.
39
,
853
864
.
44.
Von Fersen
,
L.
,
Kamminga
,
L. C.
, and
Seidl
,
A.
(
1997
). “
Estudios preliminares sobre el comportamiento de un ejemplar de franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) en Mundo Marino, Argentina (DT10)” [“Preliminary studies on the behavior of one individual of franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) in Mundo Marino, Argentina”]
,
Report of the Third Workshop for Coordinated Research and Conservation of the Franciscana Dolphin (Pontoporia Blainvillei) in the Southwestern Atlantic
, Buenos Aires, Argentina (November 26–28). Available at http://www.cms.int/publications/pdf/franciscana_dolphin_buenos_aires_1997.pdf.
45.
Wang
,
X.
,
Wang
,
D.
,
Akamatsu
,
T.
,
Fujita
,
K.
, and
Shiraki
,
R.
(
2006
). “
Estimated detection distance of a baiji's (Chinese river dolphin, Lipotes vexillifer) whistles using a passive acoustic survey method
,”
J. Acoust. Soc. Am.
120
,
1361
1365
.
46.
Wartzok
,
D.
, and
Ketten
,
D.
(
1999
). “
Marine mammal sensory systems
,” in
Biology of Marine Mammals
, edited by
J. E.
Reynolds
 III
and
S. A.
Rommel
(
Smithsonian Institution
,
Washington
), pp.
117
175
.
47.
Watkins
,
W. A.
(
1967
). “
The harmonic interval fact or artifact in spectral analysis of pulse trains
,” in
Marine Bio-Acoustics
, edited by
W. N.
Tavolga
(
Pergamon
,
New York
), pp.
15
43
.
49.
Wells
,
R. S.
,
Bordino
,
P.
, and
Douglas
,
D. C.
(
2013
). “
Patterns of social association in Franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei
,”
Mar. Mamm. Sci.
29
,
E520
E528
.
50.
Xiao
,
Y.
, and
Jing
,
R.
(
1989
). “
Underwater acoustic signals of the baiji, Lipotes vexillifer
,” in
Biology and Conservation of the River Dolphins
, Occasional Papers of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), No. 3, pp.
129
136
.
You do not currently have access to this content.