Eavesdropping on Malaysia’s dolphins: Interview with marine bioacoustician Saliza Bono
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s coastal waters are home to 27 species of marine mammals. These include protected species like the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis), Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris), Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides), dugongs (Dugong dugon) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). But few Malaysians know about these sea…
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia's coastal waters are home to 27 species of marine mammals, including protected species like the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins, Indo-Pacific finless porpoises, dugongs, and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. However, many Malaysians are unaware of these sea animals, and even fewer know about the scientist who studies their vocal communications.
Meet Saliza Bono, a 32-year-old bioacoustics officer at MareCet, the country's only NGO dedicated to research and conservation of marine mammals. Saliza, who also leads the NGO's Langkawi Dolphin Research Project, studies marine mammal sounds to learn more about these animals, believing that understanding them is the first step towards saving them.
Her research focuses on the impacts of underwater noise on Indo-Pacific humpback and Irrawaddy dolphins in Malaysia. In an interview with Mongabay, Saliza discusses her journey into bioacoustics, the effects of underwater noise pollution on dolphin behavior, and the challenges she faces in her research.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
