Kiersten Runte (M.Sc. Candidate): Hi! I am a Master’s student studying the unique signals of unknown beaked whale species! Beaked whales Cetacea; Ziphiidae) are elusive, deep-sea foragers with short-surfacing intervals and pelagic distributions (and, in my biased opinion, the coolest mammals on the planet!). I am collaborating with bioacoustics researchers and analysts at JASCO Applied Science Ltd. to better characterize the unique spectral qualities of unidentified beaked whale vocalizations. I am very interested in continuing previous research on a unique beaked whale signal found off West Africa and hope to find new detections of the signal by running automated detectors through Jasco’s expansive audio library. In doing so, I hope to bring us one step closer to uncovering what species may be emitting these mysterious signals.
 
Aside from my time spent listening to whales, I am passionate about science communication & creating ocean-based educational programming for youth. I am always happy to talk whale and oceans, so please don’t hesitate to reach out & connect!
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