Auditory Performance In Tigers

老虎是大型猫科动物中最大的一种，其听觉表现在科学文献中还没有记载，尽管在奇闻轶事中声称其具有非凡的听觉属性。 该项目的目的是检查老虎的听觉和发声能力，为开发用于保护的声学工具奠定基础。 老虎是一个听觉专家，一种进化出特殊听觉属性的动物，使其在野外具有优势，还是一个可以预见的适合其听觉生态位的多面手？ 将使用一套非侵入性工具（包括声音诱发脑电位）来评估听力。 在次声范围内（频率低于人类可用的频率）的声音测量将用于确定老虎是否能够产生包含该范围内能量的呼叫。 目前的假设是，老虎擅长低频听觉，以便进行远距离交流。 该项目将为以下研究奠定基础：1）旨在更彻底地了解听觉和发声在老虎居住的不同社区中的作用的研究，2）旨在更有效地解释自由放养的老虎种群的声学普查协议，以及3）旨在阻止老虎侵犯人类栖息地的声学工具，从而减少偷猎。 老虎被认为是代表保护广泛生态系统的关键需求的旗舰物种，包括俄罗斯东南部的针叶林，混合落叶林和苏门答腊茂密的热带雨林。 当与旨在影响各级公众和学生的综合推广和教育计划相结合时，该项目将引起人们对老虎困境的关注。 因此，一个主要的教育目标是利用老虎的高调性质来保护这些受到严重威胁的大型猫科动物所居住的生态系统。

Auditory performance in tigers, the biggest of the big cats, has not been documented in the scientific literature, although claims of extraordinary hearing attributes are legendary in anecdote. The purpose of this project is to examine the hearing and vocal capabilities of the tiger to lay the foundation for the development of acoustical tools for use in conservation. Is the tiger an auditory specialist, an animal that has evolved special hearing attributes that give it an advantage in the wild, or is it a generalist fitting predictably into its auditory niche? A non-invasive set of tools including sound elicited brain potentials will be used to evaluate hearing. Sound measurements in the infrasonic range (frequencies lower than those available to humans) will be used to determine if tigers are able to produce calls containing energy in this range. The working hypothesis is that tigers specialize in low frequency hearing to communicate over large distances. This project will set the stage for the development of 1) studies designed to more thoroughly understand the role of hearing and vocalization in the diverse communities inhabited by tigers, 2) acoustic census protocols designed to more effectively account for free-ranging tiger populations, and 3) acoustic tools designed to deter tigers from encroaching on human habitats, thereby reducing poaching. The tiger is regarded as a flagship species representing the critical need for the conservation of wide-ranging ecosystems including the coniferous, mixed-deciduous forests of southeastern Russia and the thick tropical rainforest of Sumatra. When combined with a comprehensive outreach and educational program designed to impact the public and students at all levels, this project will call attention to the plight of the tiger. Consequently, a major educational goal is to use the high profile nature of the tiger to leverage the conservation of ecosystems inhabited by these seriously threatened big cats.