Animal Bioacustics 

http://cetus.pmel.noaa.gov/Bioacoustics.html 

Animal bioacoustics is the study of sound in non-human animals. It includes acoustic communication, sound production mechanisms, auditory anatomy and function, sonar, acoustic tracking, and the effects of human-made and environmental noise on animals.
Each discipline within the scope of bioacoustics has opened up exciting new areas of inquiry. Here’s a sampling of some active areas of research:

– Creating sonar devices that model animal echolocation
– Insects that use natural objects to amplify their communication sounds
– Computer imaging of auditory organs and sound-producing structures
– Tracking terrestrial and marine animals using arrays of acoustic sensors
– Comparisons of acoustic and non-acoustic signaling behavior
– Devices to make fishing nets more detectable to marine mammals
– Infrasound communication in whales, elephants, and hippopotamuses
– Effects of human-made noise on wild and domestic animals