Saaren Kartano

Members of the Hylidae frog family are commonly known as ‘tree frogs’, as many of the species in this family have semiarboreal habitats. Hylidae frogs usually have large bodies (> 70 mm), large, slim hands and legs, webbed feet, and bulging eyes1.

Within the Hylidae, we find the highly diverse and, until recently, poorly studied genus Hyloscirtus, which includes tree dwelling frogs that inhabit regions of high elevation in the Colombian Andean mountains2. There are reports of 23 species occurring in Colombia3, which suggests high levels of endemism2,6.

Among the Hyloscirtus genus, some species exhibit astonishing reticulation colour patterns, such as those of Hyloscirtus sarampiona (like the reddish measles rash4) or Hyloscirtus tigrinus (similar to a tiger5). Others, like the ones in the larinopygion group are characterised by a dark brown to dark purple dorsal background coloration along with white, yellow or cream stripes on the belly and flanks5 (see also attached photo). 

Hyloscirtus larinopygion has traditionally been considered a ‘widespread’ and relatively ‘well-studied’ species by most herpetologists, occurring along the entire Ecuadorian and Colombian Andes. Because different studies have already been conducted in populations occurring in Ecuador, there was not much interest in studying it further in Colombia. However, in 2013 my colleague Mauricio Rivera-Correa, presented evidence to suggest that the populations occurring in Antioquia region were actually a different Hyloscirtus species (not Hyloscirtus larinopygion as had been thought). Mauricio and his research colleague Julián Faivovich named this new species after the Antioquia region as Hyloscirtus antioquia)2. Because of its dark brown tone that resembles chocolate, Hyloscirtus antioquia is also known as the ‘chocolate frog’.

As a recently described species, there is little information on the natural history, reproduction, behaviour, and ecology of Hyloscirtus antioquia. These sets of recordings represent a significant contribution to the bioacoustic studies of this species.

Here, we can appreciate that the call of Hyloscirtus antioquia is composed of a sequence of low-pitched notes modulated both in frequency and amplitude. The call contains 7-8 notes, the first being subtle, with notes then increasing in frequency and a slight decrease on the last one. The call lasts around 0.25 seconds and the duration of the notes varies between 0.015 and 0.030 seconds, with the penultimate being the longest.

References
Savage J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. The University of Chicago Press
Rivera-Correa M. & Faivovich J. 2013. Herpetologica, 69(3): 298–313
Acosta Galvis A.R. 2019. Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia. http://www.batrachia.com
https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0213+1023
https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7171
Guayasamin J.M., et al. 2015. Neotropical Biodiversity, 1: 2–21.

Chocolate (excerpt)

Miguel Mitu Bienparaos Tukano (excerpt)

Flying Bats (excerpt)

Winged Adventures Of The Caribbean Colombia
www.cucusonic.net
(by Danny Zurc)

In the Caribbean region of Colombia many bat species occupy both terrestrial grazing land and lagoon surroundings. This recording, made near a lagoon (see attached photo), is a perfect example of how diverse echolocations calls can be. So, with a bioacoustic analysis of such a soundscape—looking at differences in frequencies, pulse and call duration—we can identify different families of bats (something that we cannot do just by looking at the landscape).

In this particular case, the visual representation of the spectrum of frequencies (called ‘spectrogram’) reveals individuals of three bat families: Vespertilionidae, Emballonuridae and Molossidae. We know this because ‘Bat 1’ has 60.2kHz of maximum energy frequency and the pulse duration is 21ms; ‘Bat 2’ has 48.3kHz of maximum energy frequency and the pulse duration is 32ms; and ‘Bat 3’ has 16.3kHz of maximum energy frequency and the pulse duration is 23ms.  

In short, the sound analysis of echolocation calls is very useful in order to identify groups of individuals in contexts where you have many bats flying around at the same time.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Winged adventures

Sanguaré Natural Reserve dock
www.cucusonic.net
(by Danny Zurc)

Sanguaré Natural Reserve is in the Colombia Caribbean region. This is a wonderland paradise not only for humans, but also for many bats species. One example is the lesser dog-like bat, an insectivorous bat which scientists name Peropteryx macrotis. Individuals and small colonies of this species forage in Sanguaré dock. Their echolocation calls have 40.5 kHz of maximum energy frequency and the duration of their pulses is approximately 10ms.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Sanguaré Natural Reserve dock

Sanguaré Natural Reserve dock
www.cucusonic.net
(by Danny Zurc)

Trees are refuges for different bat species and other animals (figure 1). Bats take advantage of the tree holes to as living spaces. Some trees favored by bats are kapok and oak, but any tree could be a bat roost. Woodpecker holes, cracks, large branches, or cavities in the trunk are attractive and suitable places for bats. Other species of bats prefer human-made structures to live in, for example, ceilings or old houses. Bats occupy different parts of the tree depending on the species. The calls of bats in the tree may be different from calls made while flying, thus, it is complicated to recognize the species by their calls.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Tree hole

Smilisca phaeota
www.cucusonic.net
(by Camilo Arredondo)

The New Granada cross-banded tree frog (also known as ‘rana bueyera’ in Colombia) is a common medium-size species (40–70 mm) with large limbs and round head and is found from Honduras to Colombia and Ecuador. In Colombia, this species typically inhabits lowlands in the northern Caribbean plains, the Pacific coast, the inter-Andean valleys and the foothills of all three Cordilleras. This tree frog can be found both in well-conserved forest as well as in open areas modified by human activities. The body coloration of this species varies; however, it can be easily recognized by a dark green line covering the sides of the head through the eyes and extending past the tympanum.

As with most frogs and toads, Smilisca phaeota males are responsible for singing, both in reproductive and defensive situations. Males usually sing while on the surface of small and shallow ponds or near to low-flow streams2. This species exhibits great variety in the composition and structure of its call, from differences in the number of notes, duration and pitch of the sound1. These call variations are most evident between Central and South America populations. Furthermore, the advertisement call of Colombian populations is characterised by a single note (sporadically two), where the sound produced is like a short call from a calf.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Smilisca phaeota

Smilisca phaeota - SingleCall

Smilisca phaeota
www.cucusonic.net
(by Camilo Arredondo)

Within the global diversity of lizards, only a small number of species are able to produce acoustic signals in social, defensive and/or sexual contexts, and most of them belongs to the Gekkonidae family. Curiously, the lizard species of this family are commonly referred as ‘Gecko lizards’ and, in fact, the name ‘Gecko’ is an onomatopoeia of the advertisement call of an Indonesian lizard species (https://bit.ly/327luRu).

Hemidactylus frenatus is part of the Gekkonidae family. It is one of 90 currently known species belonging to one of the most diverse genera of Gecko: Hemidactylus. The native geographic distribution of the species of this genus only includes Asia, Africa and Southern Europe; however, several species can now be found in the Americas (insular and continental) as a product of accidental and/or intentional species introduction.

Hemidactylus frenatus is currently broadly distributed in Colombian territories with low and moderate elevations (0 to 1600masl), mainly in the Caribbean region, Pacific Coast and inter Andean valleys. It is a species with high tolerance to human-modified environments and as such its higher densities are mostly related with urban settlements.

The advertisement call of Hemidactylus frenatus is made up of a sequence of consecutive chirps, each one short in time and with a high modulated frequency. The call duration can exceed two seconds, producing between 3 to 15 chirps per call.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Hemidactylus frenatus

Atypical singing
www.cucusonic.net
(by Juan Pablo Durango)

The bird species Troglodytes aedon is also known as ‘The house Wren’ or, in Spanish, ‘Chochin Criollo’. It’s a widely distributed species, found from Canada to Tierra del Fuego. It’s common to see it in open landscapes, in forest glades and near or inside human settlements. Here in Colombia it reaches regions up to 3400 m.a.s.l. It’s a small bird that in average reaches 11.4 cm. It feeds mostly on insects and invertebrates.

The house Wren is a highly variable songster, in general terms it can be said that its song begins with a chatter of fast notes and then, without a pause, it descends the scale in a cascade of apparently double notes. 

This specimen exhibited what I call ‘strange behaviour’, because it was observed singing alone at 4:00 AM, emitting courtship and territory defence songs, that used to be sung after dawn. Probably, this behaviour could be related with the effect of artificial lights in environments intervened in by humans, like my neighbourhood ‘Enciso’, located in the Northeast side of Medellin, where I made the recording. The pandemic lockdown was not entirely followed by the people in my neighbourhood and the regular, or even the increase in human activity, along with the continuous presence of artificial lights, probably made this individual ‘believe’ that it was already dawn, thus making them sing this courtship song so early in the morning.
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cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

Atypical singing

Frogs and bats
(by Carlos Restrepo)
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Cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

We are a collaboration, interested in identifying how the multiple sonic registers of animal sound can be harnessed to bring different groups of people together in Colombia: scientists, musicians, farmers, city dwellers, indigenous peoples, ex-combatants, to work towards a common purpose, which is the exploration of the transformative potential of biodiversity.

By focusing purely on the medium of sound, through practices of listening, recording, analysing, composing, telling stories about and singing the animal world into being, our work is designed to bring together scientific, social, and artistic perspectives. 

From a scientific point of view, the vocalisation records of animals such as frogs and bats can be used for biological identification because such signals are unique for each species (Bioacoustic Data).

By measuring acoustic signals we are aiming to construct an acoustic baseline of some localities in Colombia that can then advance our understanding of biodiversity. 

From a social perspective, by asking people to send in their own recordings and oral narratives of these same animal sounds we want to provide a lived, human perspective and an opportunity for the expression of personal as well as communal histories and cultural traditions, all via the same sonic medium (Narratives).

From an artistic perspective we aim to share recordings of animal sounds with musicians and producers so as to encourage creative dialogues and new musical compositions that explore the potential of these sonic registers to make connections between these scientific and social perspectives and to be translated into messages of hope to a wider, international audience (Music).

We believe that through this inclusive and interconnected approach, which combines the full sound spectrum, differences of knowledge and expertise can be harnessed for the purposes of finding shared understandings and appreciations of biodiversity and ways of working together for its protection.

Frogs and bats

Bats
www.cucusonic.net
(by Carlos Restrepo)
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Bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and a terminal phase (also called ‘feeding buzz’).

These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses in shorter time intervals (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted in very short time interval in order to obtain faster information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

This particular track includes ultrasonic recordings of search and approach phases of (see graph): Species 01 (search and approach phases), Species 02 (search and approach phases), Species 04 (search phase) and Species 12 (search phase)

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Cucusonic: 

We are a collaboration, interested in identifying how the multiple sonic registers of animal sound can be harnessed to bring different groups of people together in Colombia: scientists, musicians, farmers, city dwellers, indigenous peoples, ex-combatants, to work towards a common purpose, which is the exploration of the transformative potential of biodiversity.

By focusing purely on the medium of sound, through practices of listening, recording, analysing, composing, telling stories about and singing the animal world into being, our work is designed to bring together scientific, social, and artistic perspectives. 

From a scientific point of view, the vocalisation records of animals such as frogs and bats can be used for biological identification because such signals are unique for each species (Bioacoustic Data).

By measuring acoustic signals we are aiming to construct an acoustic baseline of some localities in Colombia that can then advance our understanding of biodiversity. 

From a social perspective, by asking people to send in their own recordings and oral narratives of these same animal sounds we want to provide a lived, human perspective and an opportunity for the expression of personal as well as communal histories and cultural traditions, all via the same sonic medium (Narratives).

From an artistic perspective we aim to share recordings of animal sounds with musicians and producers so as to encourage creative dialogues and new musical compositions that explore the potential of these sonic registers to make connections between these scientific and social perspectives and to be translated into messages of hope to a wider, international audience (Music).

We believe that through this inclusive and interconnected approach, which combines the full sound spectrum, differences of knowledge and expertise can be harnessed for the purposes of finding shared understandings and appreciations of biodiversity and ways of working together for its protection.

cucusonic

Bats

Gecko reggae
www.cucusonic.net
(by Carlos Restrepo)
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Cucusonic: www.cucusonic.net

We are a collaboration, interested in identifying how the multiple sonic registers of animal sound can be harnessed to bring different groups of people together in Colombia: scientists, musicians, farmers, city dwellers, indigenous peoples, ex-combatants, to work towards a common purpose, which is the exploration of the transformative potential of biodiversity.

By focusing purely on the medium of sound, through practices of listening, recording, analysing, composing, telling stories about and singing the animal world into being, our work is designed to bring together scientific, social, and artistic perspectives. 

From a scientific point of view, the vocalisation records of animals such as frogs and bats can be used for biological identification because such signals are unique for each species (Bioacoustic Data).

By measuring acoustic signals we are aiming to construct an acoustic baseline of some localities in Colombia that can then advance our understanding of biodiversity. 

From a social perspective, by asking people to send in their own recordings and oral narratives of these same animal sounds we want to provide a lived, human perspective and an opportunity for the expression of personal as well as communal histories and cultural traditions, all via the same sonic medium (Narratives).

From an artistic perspective we aim to share recordings of animal sounds with musicians and producers so as to encourage creative dialogues and new musical compositions that explore the potential of these sonic registers to make connections between these scientific and social perspectives and to be translated into messages of hope to a wider, international audience (Music).

We believe that through this inclusive and interconnected approach, which combines the full sound spectrum, differences of knowledge and expertise can be harnessed for the purposes of finding shared understandings and appreciations of biodiversity and ways of working together for its protection.

Gecko reggae

Bats in three phases
www.cucusonic.net
(by Carlos Restrepo)
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Bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and a terminal phase (also called ‘feeding buzz’).

These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses in shorter time intervals (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted in very short time interval in order to obtain faster information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

Bats in three phases

Chocolate
www.cucusonic.net
(track by Carlos Restrepo)
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*Hyloscirtus antioquia: advertisement call*
(text by Carlos Restrepo)

Members of the Hylidae frog family are commonly known as ‘tree frogs’, as many of the species in this family have semiarboreal habitats. Hylidae frogs usually have large bodies (> 70 mm), large, slim hands and legs, webbed feet, and bulging eyes [1].

Within the Hylidae, we find the highly diverse and, until recently, poorly studied genus Hyloscirtus, which includes tree dwelling frogs that inhabit regions of high elevation in the Colombian Andean mountains2. There are reports of 23 species occurring in Colombia3, which suggests high levels of endemism [2,6].

Among the Hyloscirtus genus, some species exhibit astonishing reticulation colour patterns, such as those of Hyloscirtus sarampiona (like the reddish measles rash [4]) or Hyloscirtus tigrinus (similar to a tiger [5]). Others, like the ones in the larinopygion group are characterised by a dark brown to dark purple dorsal background coloration along with white, yellow or cream stripes on the belly and flanks [5]. 

Hyloscirtus larinopygion has traditionally been considered a ‘widespread’ and relatively ‘well-studied’ species by most herpetologists, occurring along the entire Ecuadorian and Colombian Andes. Because different studies have already been conducted in populations occurring in Ecuador, there was not much interest in studying it further in Colombia. However, in 2013 my colleague Mauricio Rivera-Correa, presented evidence to suggest that the populations occurring in Antioquia region were actually a different Hyloscirtus species (not Hyloscirtus larinopygion as had been thought). Mauricio and his research colleague Julián Faivovich named this new species after the Antioquia region as Hyloscirtus antioquia)[2]. Because of its dark brown tone that resembles chocolate, Hyloscirtus antioquia is also known as the ‘chocolate frog’.

As a recently described species, there is little information on the natural history, reproduction, behaviour, and ecology of Hyloscirtus antioquia. These sets of recordings represent a significant contribution to the bioacoustic studies of this species.

Here, we can appreciate that the call of Hyloscirtus antioquia is composed of a sequence of low-pitched notes modulated both in frequency and amplitude. The call contains 7-8 notes, the first being subtle, with notes then increasing in frequency and a slight decrease on the last one. The call lasts around 0.25 seconds and the duration of the notes varies between 0.015 and 0.030 seconds, with the penultimate being the longest.

*References*
[1] Savage J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica. The University of Chicago Press
[2] Rivera-Correa M. & Faivovich J. 2013. Herpetologica, 69(3): 298–313
[3] Acosta Galvis A.R. 2019. Lista de los Anfibios de Colombia. http://www.batrachia.com
[4] https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0213+1023
[5] https://amphibiaweb.org/species/7171
[6] Guayasamin J.M., et al. 2015. Neotropical Biodiversity, 1: 2–21.

Chocolate

Returning echoes
(by Danny Zurc & Alejandro Valencia-Tobon)
www.cucusonic.net

Most bats emit and detect ultrasound signals while flying, in a process known as ‘echolocation’ (they have an active sonar system) [1]. The principle behind echolocation is to emit high-frequency signals (in bats, mainly ultrasonic signals above 20 kHz) and then analyse those returning echoes. By detecting such returning echoes, bats can recognise, classify and localise those objects that reflected back sound signals [2,3].

The problem is that bats confront multitude of issues and masking effects while flying; for example: dealing with external noise, clutter echoes, sound signals emitted by other bats, and the physical effects (temperature, humidity and distance) that generate an atmospheric attenuation of sound [3]. Such ecological constraints have meant a selection pressure which seem to have led to an adaptation process in which ultrasound signals appear to be unique to each species. Biologists came to this conclusion by comparing narrowband and broadband components of echolocation signals [3].

Biologist agree that bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and terminal phase (this latter one also called ‘feeding buzz’). These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses in shorter time interval (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted in very short time interval in order to obtain faster information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

As different bat taxa have a particular pattern during the search phase, ultrasonic vocalisation records can be used as complementary information for biological identification. In the other two phases (approach phase and feeding buzz) the pulses tend to have varied frequencies that do not fall between a specific range of frequencies.

Similar echolocation principle is used by humans. For example, blind people can make mouth click sounds and use the returning echoes to locate possible obstacles [4]. Other applications include submarine sonar systems and the detection of underwater mining [5], and the ultrasound scan that physicians use to obtained medical images of different organs [6]. 

*References*

[1] Metzner, W. & Müller, R. Ultrasound Production, Emission, and Reception. in Bat Bioacoustics (eds. Fenton, M. B., Grinnell, A. D., Popper, A. N. & Fay, R. R.) 55–91 (Springer, 2016). doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-3527-7_3.
[2] Griffin, D. R. Echolocation by Blind Men, Bats and Radar. Science 100, 589–590 (1944).
[3] Schnitzler, H.-U. & Kalko, E. K. V. Echolocation by Insect-Eating Bats: We define four distinct functional groups of bats and find differences in signal structure that correlate with the typical echolocation tasks faced by each group. BioScience 51, 557–569 (2001).
[4] Thaler, L. & Goodale, M. A. Echolocation in humans: an overview. WIREs Cogn. Sci. 7, 382–393 (2016).
[5] Vinutha, K. V., Vinutha, K. & Yuvaraja, T. Under Water Mine Detection Using Sonar. J. Comput. Theor. Nanosci. 15, 2150–2152 (2018).
[6] Carbelo, M. Á., Sosa, L. E. & González, C. R. Historia y desarrollo del ultrasonido en la Imagenología. 13, 15 (2019).

Returning echoes - human hearing range

Returning echoes - ultrasound

Leaf-nosed bats
(by Danny Zurc)
www.cucusonic.net

Bats species have different nose forms. Studies have suggested that this complex organ is a highly functional structure [1,2]. For example, some echolocation calls are emitted by bats from nasal passages, in a process known as ‘nasal emission’. Those nasal-emitting bats have ‘noseleaves’, a structure that might serve acoustic functions [2]. One hypothesis is that the bats moves the nose-leaf during echolocation, probably to control the vertical distribution of orientation sounds [3].

Micronycteris microtis is good example of such specialised-facial-morphology bats. This member of the Phyllostominae sub-family can be found in South and Central America. This species uses its nose when producing echolocation calls to better localize and target objects [4]. Such calls have broadband pulses containing several harmonics between 50 and 160 kHz [4]. In this recording, made in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Micronycteris microtis was registered with a peak frequency of 80 kHz (fig. 2). 
This species also has large ears (18-22 mm), which is a useful morphological characteristic by which to recognise it [5]. In Colombia it inhabits Andina and Caribbean regions from 0 at 310 masl [6].

References

[1] Schnitzler, H.-U. & Grinnell, A. D. Directional sensitivity of echolocation in the horseshoe bat,Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. J. Comp. Physiol. 116, 51–61 (1977).

[2] Pedersen, S. C. & Müller, R. Nasal-Emission and Nose leaves. in Bat Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation (eds. Adams, R. A. & Pedersen, S. C.) 71–91 (Springer, 2013).

[3] Shimozawa, T., Suga, N., Hendler, P. & Schuetze, S. Directional Sensitivity of Echolocation System in Bats Producing Frequency-Modulated Signals. J. Exp. Biol. 60, 53–69 (1974).

[4] Vanderelst, D., De Mey, F. & Peremans, H. Simulating the Morphological Feasibility of Adaptive Beamforming in Bats. in From Animals to Animats 11 (eds. Doncieux, S. et al.) 136–145 (Springer, 2010). doi:10.1007/978-3-642-15193-4_13.

[5] Williams, S. L. & Genoways, H. H. Subfamily Phyllostominae Gray, 1825 from Mammals of South America. Mammal. Pap. Univ. Neb. State Mus. 1, 255–300 (2007).

[6] Simmons, N. B. A new species of Micronycteris (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) from northeastern Brazil, with comments on phylogenetic relationships. Am. Mus. Novit. 3158, 1–35 (1996).

Leaf-nosed bats - human hearing range (noise reduction 3)

Leaf-nosed bats - human hearing range (noise reduction 2)

Leaf-nosed bats - human hearing range (noise reduction 1)

Leaf-nosed bats - ultrasound

Proboscis bat
www.cucusonic.net
(by Danny Zurc) 

Rhynchonycteris naso is an interesting animal from South and Central America. It is an insectivorous species that you can find resting under houses roofs (wood roofs) or wooden logs. Individuals of this species emit ultrasound from 95.0 to 103.5 kHz, which means that they produce high intensity sounds. It is also interesting to see that family members are very ‘organised’: while resting they form a line, one next to the other, as seen in the picture. 

Although Rhynchonycteris naso is the scientific name, this animal is also known as ‘proboscis bat’ or ‘long-nosed bat’. Because of this, native people from the Caribbean region in Colombia usually make fun of this species, saying that it looks like a ‘mini-pinocchio’.

(Photos by Laura-M-Vargas)

Proboscis bat - heterodyne (noise reduction)

Proboscis bat
(by Danny Zurc) 
www.cucusonic.net

Rhynchonycteris naso is an interesting animal from South and Central America. It is an insectivorous species that you can find resting under houses roofs (wood roofs) or wooden logs. Individuals of this species emit ultrasound from 95.0 to 103.5 kHz, which means that they produce high intensity sounds. It is also interesting to see that family members are very ‘organised’: while resting they form a line, one next to the other, as seen in the picture. 

Although Rhynchonycteris naso is the scientific name, this animal is also known as ‘proboscis bat’ or ‘long-nosed bat’. Because of this, native people from the Caribbean region in Colombia usually make fun of this species, saying that it looks like a ‘mini-pinocchio’.

(Photos by Laura-M-Vargas)

Proboscis bat - heterodyne

Rhynchonycteris naso in three phases (ultrasound) 
(by Danny Zurc & Alejandro Valencia-Tobon)
www.cucusonic.net

Bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and terminal phase (this latter one also called ‘feeding buzz’). 

These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses at shorter time intervals (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted at incredibly short time intervals in order to rapidly obtain information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

These ultrasonic vocalisation records can also be used for biological identification because bats’ ultrasound signals are unique to each species. Here we have Rhynchonycteris naso, which is an interesting animal from South and Central America. 

Individuals of this species emit ultrasound from 95.0 to 103.5 kHz, which means that they produce high intensity sounds. With this information we are able to study how bats navigate and use echolocation. 

We then convert the recordings to the human hearing range to allow people to audibly appreciate the sounds — see the post 'Rhynchonycteris naso in three phases (human hearing range)'.

Terminal phase - ultrasound (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Approach phase - ultrasound (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Search phase - ultrasound (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Complete sequence - ultrasound (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Rhynchonycteris naso in three phases (ultrasound)
(by Danny Zurc & Alejandro Valencia-Tobon)
www.cucusonic.net

Bat sound signals appear to be divided into three phases: search, approach and terminal phase (this latter one also called ‘feeding buzz’).

These phases are indications of the bat’s activity: in the search phase, bats seek food and, while doing this, each individual is analysing what is happening in its habitat. Encountering possible prey, bats go towards it, emitting pulses at shorter time intervals (approach phase). Finally, during the feeding buzz, bats are so close to their possible prey that pulses are emitted at incredibly short time intervals in order to rapidly obtain information about what is happening and thus have a successful hunt. This process is repeated over and over again.

These ultrasonic vocalisation records can also be used for biological identification because bats’ ultrasound signals are unique to each species. Here we have Rhynchonycteris naso, which is an interesting animal from South and Central America.

Individuals of this species emit ultrasound from 95.0 to 103.5 kHz, which means that they produce high intensity sounds. With this information we are able to study how bats navigate and use echolocation.

We then convert the recordings to the human hearing range to allow people to audibly appreciate the sounds — see the post 'Rhynchonycteris naso in three phases (ultrasound)'.

Terminal phase - human hearing range (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Approach phase - human hearing range (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Search phase - human hearing range (Rhynchonycteris naso)

Complete sequence - human hearing range (Rhynchonycteris naso)

We are a collaboration, interested in identifying how the multiple sonic registers of animal sound can be harnessed to bring different groups of people together in Colombia: scientists, musicians, farmers, city dwellers, indigenous peoples, to work towards a common purpose, which is the exploration of the transformative potential of biodiversity.

Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent periodic lockdowns, our project’s methodology involves ‘remote’ ways of working which avoid face-to-face contact and are about the recording, sharing, editing and presentation of wildlife observations and bio-acoustic recordings from the various situations of lockdown.

The recording strategies are led by biological scientists, anthropologists and musicians working together. The materials (recordings and observations) are directed towards three purposes:

(1) The establishment and training of a network of citizen scientists to make regular observations and recordings. This work is about facilitating the work which biological scientists cannot do at the present time, while simultaneously creating a record of the ‘return’ of nature during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’.

(2) The production of a regular series of podcasts, videos and recordings using this material and based around particular species, for dissemination through our dedicated website.

(3) A collaboration (online) with a team of international music producers and musicians, through the partnership with the organisation In Place of War.

Cucusonic collective works in partnership with The University of Manchester, the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology and In Place Of War, thanks to the support of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). www.cucusonic.net

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