• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.799-805
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• 2017

The whistle sounds of three Beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas were recorded four times, for an hour each time, in 2016 and analyzed to obtain the most stable and basic acoustic characteristics of the whales in captivity. This study investigated the whistle characteristics of beluga whales and the relationship between whistle sounds and behavior to understand the meaning of the whistle sounds. The whistles were classified into six types (flat, ascending, descending, hump, dip, and wavy type) by their frequency contour and shape. The most common type was the ascending type, accounting for>30% of total whistles. The fundamental frequency of whistles was 2.0-8.6 kHz. Four types of behavior were related with the sounds of beluga whales (aggressive, submissive, affiliative, sexual behavior). A flat whistle was the most recorded in the group and an aggressive act was observed in association with the flat whistle. A dip whistle were recorded more when submissive acts were observed.