Melon‐Headed Whale ( <i>Peponocephala electra</i> ) Occurrence in the Equatorial Mid‐Atlantic Ocean With Descriptions of Their Whistles

ABSTRACT Acoustic studies for any cetacean species in tropical Atlantic Ocean waters are scarce, especially for oceanic dolphins, such as the melon‐headed whale, Peponocephala electra . Here we describe a unique visual and acoustic record for this species, filling an information gap about the acoustic patterns of these delphinids in this part of the globe. Recordings were made using a towed array with four hydrophones along with sightings and photographs validating the species identification. We describe 10 acoustic parameters of the melon‐headed whale whistles and compare the results with four other studies published for the species in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Our results show that for most parameters related to whistle frequency, values were higher than those reported in comparable studies for the same species. The whistles are short in duration, and most have a downsweep contour type, followed by an upsweep. The description of acoustic parameters for odontocetes is useful for the development of automatic species‐specific whistle detectors. Furthermore, the record of the species in this previously unsampled area sheds light on the patterns of occurrence and distribution of melon‐headed whales on a global scale.