Marie-Ana Mikus
Cetacean Conservation Research Program Technician

Marie-Ana is a research technician for the Raincoast Cetacean Conservation Research program. She holds a MSc Degree in Animal behavior from the University of Rennes (France) where she studied small-clawed otter acoustic communication. She has extensive experience in behavioral and acoustic field data collection and acoustic analysis of animal sounds, particularly cetaceans. Since 2016, she has assisted with the collection and acoustic analysis of field recordings of beluga whales from Cunningham Inlet (Canadian High Arctic), the Churchill River Estuary and the St. Lawrence River Estuary, and has been involved on studies of killer whale acoustics and underwater noise impacts on cetaceans.

As a field technician, Marie-Ana is experienced with the deployment and troubleshooting of digital hydrophones, a competent small-boat handler, and a certified drone pilot.

marie-ana [at] raincoast [dot] org

Marie-Ana Mikus sits in her rain gear laughing with her head on her hands.

Cetacean Conservation Research Program

Peer reviewed publications

Aubin, J. A., Mikus, M.-A., Michaud, R., Mennill, D., & Vergara, V. (2023). Fly with care: belugas show evasive responses to low altitude drone flights. Marine Mammal Science, 1– 22. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12997

Vergara, V., Wood, J., Lesage, V., Ames, A., Mikus, M.A. and Michaud, R., 2021. Can you hear me? Impacts of underwater noise on communication space of adult, sub-adult and calf contact calls of endangered St. Lawrence belugas (Delphinapterus leucas). Polar Research, 40, 5521. https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5521

Vergara, V. and Mikus, M.A., 2019. Contact call diversity in natural beluga entrapments in an Arctic estuary: Preliminary evidence of vocal signatures in wild belugas. Marine Mammal Science, 35(2), pp.434-465. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12538

Lemasson, A., Mikus, M.A., Blois-Heulin, C. and Lodé, T., 2014. Vocal repertoire, individual acoustic distinctiveness, and social networks in a group of captive Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea). Journal of Mammalogy, 95(1), pp.128-139

Lemasson, A., Mikus, M.A., Blois-Heulin, C. and Lodé, T., 2013. Social partner discrimination based on sounds and scents in Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus). Naturwissenschaften, 100(3), pp.275-279