Hearing, vocalization and the external ear of a marsupial, the Northern Quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus

Abstract

As part of a continuing study of the development of the marsupial auditory system, auditory brainstem responses (ABR) were recorded and an ABR audiogram was constructed for five female Northern Quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), which are nocturnal carnivores. The best frequency for hearing lies between 8 and 10 kHz, and at 50 dB SPL there is a range from about 0.5 to 40 kHz. Vocalizations of adult quolls and pouch‐young were recorded with a digital audio tape recorder, and the power spectra of representative calls were compared with the ABR audiogram. The common adult vocalization have most energy at the lower end of the hearing range, whereas frequencies that are dominant in the isolation calls..