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On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants
SIMPLE SUMMARY: We use data similar to that taken by the International Monitoring System for the detection of nuclear explosions, to determine whether elephants might be capable of detecting and locating the source of sounds generated by thunderstorms. Knowledge that elephants might be capable of re...
Autores principales: | , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
MDPI
2013
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494393/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26487406 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani3020349 |
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author | Kelley, Michael C. Garstang, Michael |
author_facet | Kelley, Michael C. Garstang, Michael |
author_sort | Kelley, Michael C. |
collection | PubMed |
description | SIMPLE SUMMARY: We use data similar to that taken by the International Monitoring System for the detection of nuclear explosions, to determine whether elephants might be capable of detecting and locating the source of sounds generated by thunderstorms. Knowledge that elephants might be capable of responding to such storms, particularly at the end of the dry season when migrations are initiated, is of considerable interest to management and conservation. ABSTRACT: Theoretical calculations suggest that sounds produced by thunderstorms and detected by a system similar to the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the detection of nuclear explosions at distances ≥100 km, are at sound pressure levels equal to or greater than 6 × 10(−3) Pa. Such sound pressure levels are well within the range of elephant hearing. Frequencies carrying these sounds might allow for interaural time delays such that adult elephants could not only hear but could also locate the source of these sounds. Determining whether it is possible for elephants to hear and locate thunderstorms contributes to the question of whether elephant movements are triggered or influenced by these abiotic sounds. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-4494393 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2013 |
publisher | MDPI |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-44943932015-09-30 On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants Kelley, Michael C. Garstang, Michael Animals (Basel) Article SIMPLE SUMMARY: We use data similar to that taken by the International Monitoring System for the detection of nuclear explosions, to determine whether elephants might be capable of detecting and locating the source of sounds generated by thunderstorms. Knowledge that elephants might be capable of responding to such storms, particularly at the end of the dry season when migrations are initiated, is of considerable interest to management and conservation. ABSTRACT: Theoretical calculations suggest that sounds produced by thunderstorms and detected by a system similar to the International Monitoring System (IMS) for the detection of nuclear explosions at distances ≥100 km, are at sound pressure levels equal to or greater than 6 × 10(−3) Pa. Such sound pressure levels are well within the range of elephant hearing. Frequencies carrying these sounds might allow for interaural time delays such that adult elephants could not only hear but could also locate the source of these sounds. Determining whether it is possible for elephants to hear and locate thunderstorms contributes to the question of whether elephant movements are triggered or influenced by these abiotic sounds. MDPI 2013-04-18 /pmc/articles/PMC4494393/ /pubmed/26487406 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani3020349 Text en © 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). |
spellingShingle | Article Kelley, Michael C. Garstang, Michael On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title | On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title_full | On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title_fullStr | On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title_full_unstemmed | On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title_short | On the Possible Detection of Lightning Storms by Elephants |
title_sort | on the possible detection of lightning storms by elephants |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494393/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26487406 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani3020349 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT kelleymichaelc onthepossibledetectionoflightningstormsbyelephants AT garstangmichael onthepossibledetectionoflightningstormsbyelephants |