クジラの音声コミュニケーション解析を可能にする新技術を開発(Tapping Into Whale Talk)

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2025-12-11 ハーバード大学

2025年12月、ハーバード大学SEASの研究チームは、クジラの鳴き声を解析・活用する新しい計測技術を開発したと発表した。この研究は、海中で発せられるクジラの低周波音が、単なるコミュニケーション手段にとどまらず、海洋環境や生物行動を知るための情報源になり得ることを示している。研究者らは、水中音響センサーと信号処理技術を用いて、クジラの発声パターンを高精度で捉え、移動や行動変化、周囲の環境条件との関係を分析した。これにより、クジラの生態理解を深めるだけでなく、船舶騒音や気候変動が海洋生物に与える影響を非侵襲的に評価できる可能性が示された。この手法は、海洋保全や生態系モニタリングに応用でき、音響工学と生物学を融合した新たな研究分野として注目されている。

クジラの音声コミュニケーション解析を可能にする新技術を開発(Tapping Into Whale Talk)
Detail view of the Project CETI bio-logger. Photo credit: Spencer Lowell

<関連情報>

クジラ類の行動とコミュニケーションを研究するためのオープンソースのバイオロガー An open-source bio-logger for studying cetacean behavior and communication

Daniel M. Vogt,Joseph DelPreto,Michael Salino-Hugg,Matthew R. Cummings,Michael A. Bell,Aidan Kenny,Peter Malkin,Alyssa M. Hernandez,Andrew L. Wright,Molly A. Duncan,Matthew R. Davidsen,Kaveet Grewal,Saksham Ahuja, [ … ],Robert J. Wood
PLOS One  Published: December 11, 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0337093

Abstract

Over the past decade, bioacoustics associated with diverse marine life has become the focus of increasing research. While fixed acoustic devices play important roles in characterizing localized soundscapes, animal-worn devices that record audio alongside physiological metrics provide richer portals to understanding cetacean communication and characterizing sounds in their environment. To facilitate scaling the collection of such multimodal datasets for deep learning applications and to encourage rapid prototyping for new recording capabilities, we present an open-source non-invasive bio-logger that can be deployed on marine animals to record high-quality audio synchronized with an extensible suite of behavioral and environmental sensors. The current implementation is tailored to investigating sperm whale communication and biology. It features four suction cups, three high-bandwidth synchronized hydrophones for audio analysis including directionality, GPS logging and transmission, and sensors for pressure, motion, orientation, temperature, and light. Its hardware and software are both open-source, with designs, fabrication details, and code available online. Lab-based experiments characterize and validate performance including shear adhesion forces, withstanding pressures equivalent to 560 m depths, battery life up to 16.8 hours, audio sensitivity of –205 dB re FS/μPa with a 96 dB dynamic range, multi-threaded data acquisition, drone-based deployments, and GPS-based recoveries. Field experiments record sperm whale vocalizations and behaviors spanning 10 deployments, 44 hours of recording, 20 dives, and up to 967 m depths. Altogether, this platform aims to advance the understanding of marine animal biology and communication within the rapidly evolving and intersecting areas of robotics, bioacoustics, and machine learning.

未分類生物環境工学
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