Bioacoustic analysis of penguin vocalization classification for Newport Aquarium educational exhibit Free

Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky, strives to engage its visitors in the educational importance of aquatic life and conservation. Through a variety of research programs and volunteerism, the aquarium promotes local and global efforts for animal advocacy. An important component of their organization is the diversity of education offered to its daily patrons and guests. The purpose of this project was to examine the acoustic and behavioral characteristics of penguin vocalizations in an effort to create an educational exhibit targeting school-age visitors. Vocalization samples of the 5 penguin species housed at Newport Aquariums’ Kroger Penguin Palooza exhibit were recorded at various times of the day, over a 5-month period. In addition to the recordings of the various penguins, behavioral characteristics were also noted in correspondence with the individual call and species. The calls were spectrally analyzed using SpectraPLUS software system, looking specifically at frequency, power, and sound pressure levels. Spectrogram plots were also documented to identify penguin vocalization variances and species identification. A Hidden Markov Model used this information to categorize and cluster vocalizations in an effort to classify them. The information extracted about the vocalizations and acoustic variances will be used for educational and exhibit purposes for the aquarium.