Preliminary insights into the acoustic presence and diel patterns of odontocetes in French Polynesia from whistle detections
Abstract
Many odontocete species use whistles for key functions such as social communication and group cohesion. Understanding these vocalizations is essential for accurate species identification and conservation efforts. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge regarding odontocete vocalizations in Polynesia. This preliminary study aims to use dolphin whistles to identify the species of odontocetes present in French Polynesia. We analyzed publicly available acoustic data collected at depths of 20, 60, and 120 meters. Using the ROCCA classifier, developed for Hawaiian dolphin whistles, we identified species and examined spatiotemporal patterns. Most whistles were attributed to Stenella attenuata , Stenella longirostris , Steno bredanensis , and Tursiops truncatus . Results revealed a geographic gradient in whistle abundance, with highest levels recorded in the Tuamotu Archipelago (particularly at Rangiroa and Tikehau) and no whistles in Mangareva, which aligns with the known north-south gradient in odontocete abundance. Whistle production was primarily nocturnal, with peaks after sunset and sunrise. Despite some limitations related to acoustic variability and classifier transferability, our results demonstrate that existing tools can provide valuable ecological insights in understudied regions, while highlighting the need for region-specific acoustic datasets to improve species identification.
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BibTeX
@article{raick2026preliminary,
title = {{Preliminary insights into the acoustic presence and diel patterns of odontocetes in French Polynesia from whistle detections}},
author = {Xavier Raick and Élise Cabanne and Charlotte Esposito and Éric Parmentier},
journal = {Regional Studies in Marine Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.rsma.2026.105142},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05764775v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Preliminary insights into the acoustic presence and diel patterns of odontocetes in French Polynesia from whistle detections
AU - Xavier Raick
AU - Élise Cabanne
AU - Charlotte Esposito
AU - Éric Parmentier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Regional Studies in Marine Science
DO - 10.1016/j.rsma.2026.105142
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05764775v1
AB - Many odontocete species use whistles for key functions such as social communication and group cohesion. Understanding these vocalizations is essential for accurate species identification and conservation efforts. However, there is a significant gap in knowledge regarding odontocete vocalizations in Polynesia. This preliminary study aims to use dolphin whistles to identify the species of odontocetes present in French Polynesia. We analyzed publicly available acoustic data collected at depths of 20, 60, and 120 meters. Using the ROCCA classifier, developed for Hawaiian dolphin whistles, we identified species and examined spatiotemporal patterns. Most whistles were attributed to Stenella attenuata , Stenella longirostris , Steno bredanensis , and Tursiops truncatus . Results revealed a geographic gradient in whistle abundance, with highest levels recorded in the Tuamotu Archipelago (particularly at Rangiroa and Tikehau) and no whistles in Mangareva, which aligns with the known north-south gradient in odontocete abundance. Whistle production was primarily nocturnal, with peaks after sunset and sunrise. Despite some limitations related to acoustic variability and classifier transferability, our results demonstrate that existing tools can provide valuable ecological insights in understudied regions, while highlighting the need for region-specific acoustic datasets to improve species identification.
SN - 2352-4855
ER -