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Auditory capability is fundamental for evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine fauna. The little penguin (Eudyptula minor), a small diving bird inhabiting coastal regions of Australia and New Zealand, has poorly understood hearing sensitivity, limiting effective conservation and noise mitigation. This study used high-resolution micro-computed tomography to reconstruct head structures and developed a three-directional finite-element (FE) hearing model to simulate sound reception, modeling both received sound pressure fields and the motion (displacement and velocity) of internal ear-related structures. Transfer functions between input sound pressure and columella footplate motion were used to predict audiograms. Predicted audiograms showed the best aerial sensitivity between 550 Hz and 5.4 kHz and the lowest threshold of ~46 dB re 20 μPa at ~2 kHz. Under water, best sensitivity ranged from 200 Hz to 6 kHz, with the lowest threshold of ~83 dB re 1 μPa at ~1.5 kHz. These predictions align with auditory ranges of other diving birds, including black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus) and Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti). Our results suggest that FE modeling is a promising noninvasive approach for estimating audiograms in species difficult to study directly. The predicted hearing ranges provide a foundation for assessing noise risks and guiding conservation strategies for little penguins.

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Predicting Hearing Capabilities of the Little Penguin (Eudyptula Minor): Finite Element Modeling Predictions and Experimental Validation

  • 动态工具书词条

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Chong Wei,
  • Christine Erbe

摘要

Auditory capability is fundamental for evaluating the impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine fauna. The little penguin (Eudyptula minor), a small diving bird inhabiting coastal regions of Australia and New Zealand, has poorly understood hearing sensitivity, limiting effective conservation and noise mitigation. This study used high-resolution micro-computed tomography to reconstruct head structures and developed a three-directional finite-element (FE) hearing model to simulate sound reception, modeling both received sound pressure fields and the motion (displacement and velocity) of internal ear-related structures. Transfer functions between input sound pressure and columella footplate motion were used to predict audiograms. Predicted audiograms showed the best aerial sensitivity between 550 Hz and 5.4 kHz and the lowest threshold of ~46 dB re 20 μPa at ~2 kHz. Under water, best sensitivity ranged from 200 Hz to 6 kHz, with the lowest threshold of ~83 dB re 1 μPa at ~1.5 kHz. These predictions align with auditory ranges of other diving birds, including black-footed penguins (Spheniscus demersus) and Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti). Our results suggest that FE modeling is a promising noninvasive approach for estimating audiograms in species difficult to study directly. The predicted hearing ranges provide a foundation for assessing noise risks and guiding conservation strategies for little penguins.