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Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Merrill, GB; Swaim, ZT; Benaka, IG; Bishop, AL; Kaney, NA; Kuhlman, S; Matheson, JC; Menini, E; Goh, S; Lei, S; Nowacek, DP
Published in: Marine pollution bulletin
December 2024

It is largely assumed that odontocetes voluntarily ingest plastic marine debris because they visually mistake it for prey. However, deep-diving whales do not rely on visual systems to forage and instead employ echolocation. Whether or not these whales misinterpret acoustic signals that lead to the accidental ingestion of plastic is unknown. We examined this question by measuring the target strength of prey items (squid, squid beaks) and various naturally weathered and fouled plastics sourced from the North Carolina coastline in situ at sea at 38, 70 and 120 kHz. Here we show that 100 % of plastic marine debris tested (plastics commonly found in the stomachs of stranded whales such as plastic bags, rope, and bottles) have either similar or stronger acoustic target strengths compared with that of whale prey items. These finding supports the hypothesis that consumption of plastic by deep-diving odontocetes is driven by a misperception of acoustic signals.

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Published In

Marine pollution bulletin

DOI

EISSN

1879-3363

ISSN

0025-326X

Publication Date

December 2024

Volume

209

Issue

Pt A

Start / End Page

117069

Related Subject Headings

  • Whales
  • Waste Products
  • Predatory Behavior
  • Plastics
  • North Carolina
  • Marine Biology & Hydrobiology
  • Echolocation
  • Animals
  • Acoustics
 

Citation

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MLA
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Merrill, G. B., Swaim, Z. T., Benaka, I. G., Bishop, A. L., Kaney, N. A., Kuhlman, S., … Nowacek, D. P. (2024). Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 209(Pt A), 117069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117069
Merrill, Greg B., Z. T. Swaim, I. G. Benaka, A. L. Bishop, N. A. Kaney, S. Kuhlman, J. C. Matheson, et al. “Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans.Marine Pollution Bulletin 209, no. Pt A (December 2024): 117069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117069.
Merrill GB, Swaim ZT, Benaka IG, Bishop AL, Kaney NA, Kuhlman S, et al. Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans. Marine pollution bulletin. 2024 Dec;209(Pt A):117069.
Merrill, Greg B., et al. “Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans.Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 209, no. Pt A, Dec. 2024, p. 117069. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117069.
Merrill GB, Swaim ZT, Benaka IG, Bishop AL, Kaney NA, Kuhlman S, Matheson JC, Menini E, Goh S, Lei S, Nowacek DP. Acoustic signature of plastic marine debris mimics the prey items of deep-diving cetaceans. Marine pollution bulletin. 2024 Dec;209(Pt A):117069.
Journal cover image

Published In

Marine pollution bulletin

DOI

EISSN

1879-3363

ISSN

0025-326X

Publication Date

December 2024

Volume

209

Issue

Pt A

Start / End Page

117069

Related Subject Headings

  • Whales
  • Waste Products
  • Predatory Behavior
  • Plastics
  • North Carolina
  • Marine Biology & Hydrobiology
  • Echolocation
  • Animals
  • Acoustics