Monitoring of a Seasonal Local Aggregation of Beluga Whales Delphinapterus leucas Based on Presumed Identification “Contact Calls”: a Pilot Study

Recently, an acoustic individual identification (AIID) approach based on recognition of dolphins by individually distinctive calls such as “signature whistles” has been applied to bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus. Some other Odontoceti species can also have individually specific calls: e.g., in beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas, these are so-called “contact calls”. In this pilot study, we have tested the possibility of using the presumed contact calls of belugas to obtain the data on occurrence, number, and individual composition of their local aggregations in the natural environment. We have concluded that the diversity of contact calls can serve as an acceptable indicator of the number of individuals in the research area; in addition, these calls are potentially applicable for individual acoustic identification in belugas.