Marius Faiß

I am interested in bioacoustics, which nicely combines my passions for all things audio and biology. Within this field, I have been lucky to learn about aspects of sound production and communication in very different groups of animals and scientific contexts.

In my PhD project, which is part of the EU-funded BioAcoustic AI Consortium, I study the dynamics and functions of vocal interactions in the Spotted Hyena by analyzing movement and audio data collected in the wild. I also explore machine-learning methods that are specifically suited to detect and analyse animal vocalisations from a broad range of species.

I am based at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, in the Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, where I am part of the CoCoMo group led by Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin. The data I work with were collected through the collaborative CCAS project and the Mara Hyena Project.

My current work focuses on vocal communication during reunions between hyenas. Spotted Hyena clans have a strict social hierarchy, but individuals regularly change their social associations or spend time by themselves. These frequent fissions and fusions in the clan carry the potential for aggression when individuals come back together after separation. I study how hyenas use vocalizations to reduce tensions and to uphold their valuable social relationships.