Pitch Perfect: Linking Elk Vocalization Characteristics to Social Context

Project Abstract

Eastern elk (Cervus elaphus canadensis) were pronounced extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the late 1800s. Since that time, efforts to reintroduce elk from western states into their native eastern range have been made, and the species now inhabits Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. In western Kentucky elk reside in the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Elk and Bison Prairie (EBP), which includes 700 acres of fenced-in grassland habitat shared between elk and bison. Because successful reproduction in the EBP contributes greatly towards efforts made to restore the elk, understanding how their vocalizations differ situationally will assist in future restoration of the species in the wild. This study will investigate the relationships between elk vocalizations and social context. In the EBP, 3 audiomoths will be paired with 8 camera traps to quantify and collect behavioral data. Spatial and temporal bugling patterns will be compared to meta data found in populations across the United States. We aim to quantify the individual bugles to determine if specific vocalizations are associated with male-male dominance interactions or breeding behaviors. We hope to better understand the functions and social context of specific bugle vocalizations and, in turn, gain insight on social patterns within elk populations.

Funding Type

Travel Grant

Academic College

Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology

Area/Major/Minor

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Degree

Wildlife Biology

Classification

Senior

Name

Dr. Howard Whiteman

Academic College

Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology

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