Scientists listen to sounds of endangered dolphins via artificial intelligence

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) – Scientists launched a study on Friday to monitor the movements of two endangered dolphin species via artificial intelligence (AI).

The Catalonia Technical University which is located in Barcelona and the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Institute in the Amazon conducted the study to detect the sounds of dolphins in the Amazon River.

The data gathered was provided to an artificial neural network.

Researchers placed microphones in the Mamiraua reserve located in northern Brazil to listen to the sounds of dolphins.

They fed the dolphin sounds to an artificial neural network, which could classify the sounds in real-time, similar to the human brain, to distinguish them from background noises like rain and boat engines.

The developed artificial intelligence technology allowed scientists to monitor the movements of dolphins by differentiating their sounds from other noises.

The study, which enables the localization of dolphins, could contribute to the conservation of these creatures.

Scientists state the population of humpback dolphins in the river estuary decreases by 50% every nine years, and the population of pink river dolphins decreases by the same percentage every t10 years.

Locating the dolphins' whereabouts will facilitate the implementation of measures that promote the coexistence of local communities and dolphins.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul