Classification of Risso’s and Pacific white-sided dolphins using spectral properties of echolocation clicks

The spectral and temporal properties of echolocation clicks and the use of clicks for species classification are investigated for five species of free-ranging dolphins found offshore of southern California: short-beaked common (Delphinus delphis), long-beaked common (D. capensis), Risso’s (Grampus griseus), Pacific white-sided (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), and bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) dolphins. Spectral properties are compared among the five species and unique spectral peak and notch patterns are described for two species. The spectral peak mean values from Pacific white-sided dolphin clicks are 22.2, 26.6, 33.7, and 37.3kHz and from Risso’s dolphins are 22.4, 25.5, 30.5, and 38.8kHz. The spectral notch mean values from Pacific white-sided dolphin clicks are 19.0, 24.5, and 29.7kHz and from Risso’s dolphins are 19.6, 27.7, and 35.9kHz. Analysis of variance analyses indicate that spectral peaks and notches within the frequency band 24–35kHz are distinct between the two species and exhibit low variat...