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Anna Selbmann

@annaselbmann.bsky.social
750 followers 493 following 36 posts

Research Specialist at Suðurnes Science and Learning Center | Bioacoustics 🎶 | Whales 🐳 | Behavioural ecology | Interspecific interactions | Open for collaboration 🤓

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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Check out this nice infographic on our recent study on killer whale responses to pilot whales sounds. Thanks @whalescientists.bsky.social for putting this together and spreading the word! 🤓🐳🔈 #bioacoustics #MarineMammals #whales #SciCom
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
None that we know of - that is part of why these interactions are so puzzling and interesting. We have never observed physical contact between the two species.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
@thekkingarsetur.bsky.social @haskoliislands.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.social @seamammalresearch.bsky.social @cerema.bsky.social
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Thanks to my co-authors @fipsamarra.bsky.social, Lucie Barluet de Beauchesne, Tatiana Marchon, @ellenlhayward.bsky.social, Jörundur Svavarsson, Patrick Miller, Paul Wensveen, and Charlotte Curé for all their support in getting this study done!
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
This study provides information on how a top predator responds to a potential threat (which has useful applications for human impact assessments) and together with previous work shows that interspecific interactions between cetaceans can be acoustically mediated in both directions. 🐳🔈🐋🤓
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Together these results show a clear avoidance response of the killer whales to the sounds of long-finned pilot whales. 📷 Katarína Klementisová, Curt Hanson
Pilot whales and killer whales swimming very fast.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
And group members moved closer together and moved in a more aligned way.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
They often initially increased their calling rate, followed by a clear decrease.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Killer whales responded to pilot whale sounds by switching to a travelling behaviour, increasing speed and moving away from the sound source.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
We conducted playback experiments to tagged killer whales. We played sounds of long-finned pilot whales and a noise control. Killer whale responses were investigated using a state-dependent model, as well as GEEs to test horizontal movement, acoustic, and group-level responses. 📷 Tatiana Marchon
Killer whale with tag.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
But how does the mobbed species, i.e. the killer whale respond?
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Pilot whales are known to exhibit a mobbing-like behaviour towards killer whales. Acoustic signals are important in mobbing behaviours. Previous studies have shown that pilot whales are attracted to the sounds of killer whales and increase their vocalisation in response. Listen to an example 🔈🎧⬆️
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
A top predator on the run! New paper on aversive responses of killer whales to the sounds of long-finned pilot whales – out now in Scientific reports – open access: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Below a short summary of the main results. 🔈🐳🤓 #bioacoustics #MarineMammals #whales
nature.com
Aversive behavioural responses of killer whales to sounds of long-finned pilot whales - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Aversive behavioural responses of killer whales to sounds of long-finned pilot whales
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Reposted by Anna Selbmann
Dr Sjúrður Hammer @sjurdur.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Postdoctoral Researcher in Marine Mammal Ecology 🧪🌍 #science
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
A killer whale PostDoc! 🤯😍
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Reposted by Anna Selbmann
Anna N Osiecka 🍉 @aosiecka.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
🔊 This the season! Looking or two MSc students to tackle 1. vocal efficiency across pipit species and, surpsingly, 2. vocal tract anatomy of the great cormorant (bonus: I also have the heads to model hearing!) Drop me a line! I love people! :) docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
MSc project
MSc thesis projects in animal communication Laws of brevity across pipit (Anthus) species Across many human languages, there are several general principles in temporal patterning: most frequent word...
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
Can you add me? 🙂
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Looks like some cool postdoc options here - including one on "Acoustic possibilities for Southern Ocean management dilemmas" 🎧🌊🚢🐳 #bioacoustics #MarineMammals
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Thanks Bettina! Who would have thought that there is such a big overlap between marine mammal scientists and Asterix lovers! 🤓🐳
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Thanks Andrew! And nice to meet you today!
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Thanks to @cherinebaumgartner.bsky.social for putting all of this together! And to Heleen Middel, @jnschulze.bsky.social, Giulia Bellon and @fipsamarra.bsky.social for the great collaboration and fun we had on this!
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
So, what is going on? Play? Practice hunting? Caregiving? We did not observe either interaction from start to end, so we can only speculate 🤷 But, as scientists, we love a good puzzle, so we’ll keep investigating! 🕵️‍♀️
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
The pilot whale calves were seen in echelon position, but also swimming away from the killer whales, and even being lifted out of the water. You can read all about it in our new publication: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Interactions Between Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) and Neonate Long‐Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas) off South Iceland
This study documents two encounters off south Iceland where neonate pilot whales were observed in the company of killer whale groups, with no other pilot whales in the vicinity. The interactions invo...
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Two weeks after the paper came out, we had a puzzling encounter with a group of killer whales that swam with a pilot whale calf 🤯 No other pilot whales were seen. And then, almost exactly a year later we observed another, different group of killer whales again with a pilot whale calf 🤯🤯🤯
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
In 2022 we published a paper describing interactions between pilot whales and killer whales in Icelandic waters. In all interactions, the pilot whales approached the killer whales and the killer whales avoided the pilot whales, sometimes in high speed chases. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Occurrence of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Icelandic coastal waters and their interspecific interactions - acta ethologica
Long-finned pilot whales and killer whales are widely distributed across the North Atlantic, but few studies have reported their occurrence in Icelandic coastal waters. Here, we use sightings data fro...
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Pilot whales and killer whales – it get’s weirder! 🐳🤓 #MarineMammals
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
Join us at the University of Iceland! They are hiring an assistant professor in marine and freshwater ecology! 🤓 Lots of water available in and around the country, plenty of cool nature and a volcanic eruption every now and then! 🌊🐟🐳🌿🌋 english.hi.is/about-ui/wor...
english.hi.is
Vacancies
The University of Iceland is one of the largest employers in Iceland. The university's mission is to conduct academic research and education, a goal that can only be achieved through the continuous en...
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Killer whale vocalisations adhere to Menzerath's law, meaning that longer sequences are composed of shorter elements, but only in their call sequences, not in elements within calls. ➡️ Call sequences may be more relevant level of analysis for communication. 🤓
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Check out this cool meta-analysis on whale vocalisations and whether they might adhere to similar laws as human language. Including some of our data on killer whales! 🐳🎵 #MarineMammals #bioacoustics #animalcommunication
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Haha! It looks amazing! 🤩 Glad you like it and congratulations again Dr. Theresa!
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
Recently finished 'The good whale'. Beautifully told, well researched and balanced podcast about the crazy story of Keiko returning to the ocean. Featuring our field site in the Westman Islands, South Iceland! 🐳🌊🇮🇸 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
The Good Whale
This is the story of a wildly ambitious science experiment to return Keiko to the ocean — while the world watched. A new limited podcast series from Serial Productions and the New York Times.
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Check out @cherinebaumgartner.bsky.social new paper on gene flow in killer whales from Iceland, Greenland and Norway. Super cool stuff! 🐳🧬🤓
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Thanks to @fipsamarra.bsky.social for getting this started and to Rodrigo Martínez Catalan for making the videos! Find out more on: www.icelandic-orcas.com
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Recently, the Icelandic Orca Project started a video series about our research and the tools we use. First up was me on acoustic research and interactions between killer whales and pilot whales. 🎵🐳 More cool videos to come soon! 🤓 www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBEf...
youtube.com
Acoustics & Interspecific interactions
YouTube video by Westman Islands Research Centre (WIRC)
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Reposted by Anna Selbmann
Dr Julia Sutherland @jcqsutherland.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
📢 Webinar alert! I'll be presenting my PhD research as part of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Winter Webinar series on Weds 22th Jan. Sign up here on Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.com/e/killer-wha...
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Reposted by Anna Selbmann
Xavier Mouy @xaviermouy.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
Introducing "Sonic Connexions", a series of online meetups designed for casual conversations about animal bioacoustics. It is open to anyone, so join us and become part of this vibrant community! First meetup on January 29th, 2025! Sign up here: forms.office.com/r/qhPcMUKz6w 🧪🔉🐟🐋🦜🪳
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Amazing! 🐳 Congratulations! 🥳
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Check out this new paper on acoustic occurrence of killer whales around Iceland! 🎵🐳🇮🇸
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Hello Bluesky! My name is Anna and I’m a PhD researcher at the University of Iceland and the Icelandic Orca Project. I like whales 🐳 and sound 🎵 and all things marine 🌊. I am very happy that the science community seems to have found a new platform and am looking forward to connecting with you all!
Me with binocularsKiller whale breaching
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Reposted by Anna Selbmann
Guðbjörg Ásta Ólafsdóttir @fishiceland.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Still time to apply 🎣🐙🌊🦭
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Anna Selbmann @annaselbmann.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Yes, we use passive acoustic monitoring but also hydrophones deployed from the boat or recordings from tags on whales. If you happen to have any recordings from the Faroes, me and @fipsamarra.bsky.social would probably be very interested to compare them to Icelandic ones 🤓
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