Question

How does echolocation work?

Answer 1

The technique of locating objects- in the atmosphere by using the reflected sounds is called echolocation. This technique is widely used by various mammals like- bats, dolphins, and humans.

Complete answer:
Echolocation is a physiological process that uses sound waves and echoes to determine the- position of objects or organisms in space. It works on the principle of SONAR. SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging and is based on the principle of reflection of ultrasound waves.
The organisms make sounds and send them to space. These sounds produce an echo when they hit any object or an organism. The reflected sound waves or echo- is heard back by these organisms. The time taken by these reflected sound waves to reach back to the organism is used for locating the distance of the object or the organism. The time delay between the two sounds is the basis of ranging in this process.

Many mammals like- dolphins, whales, bats, shrews, and humans use echolocation to perform various functions.
Whales use echolocation to navigate and locate their food underwater. They also use it to locate their prey. They send high-pitched clicking sounds underwater and wait for them to return.
Dolphins have a specialized organ called melon in their forehead that produces short broad-spectrum burst pulse or clicks. They use it to find their food or prey and orient themselves in the water bodies.

Bats use echolocation to navigate and find their food or prey. They also help the bat to see objects during the nights. They produce high-frequency ultrasounds that bounce off the objects and are heard back by them.
Humans actively create sounds to sense the objects in their environment. It helps them to locate the objects and also find out about their size. The sounds produced by them are- snapping of fingers, stomping of the foot, making noises with the mouth, etc.
Small mammals like shrews also use high-pitched squeaks to orient themselves and locate nearby objects or predators. They also use it for their social interaction.

To summarise, echolocation is used by organisms to- locate objects or prey, orient themselves, avoid obstacles during their movement, find their food, and for social interactions with other organisms.

Note: The principle of SONAR uses ultrasound waves with frequencies higher than 20KHz. This principle helps the ships to find the depth and objects in the sea and ocean beds. The ultrasounds emitted by the sea are reflected by the sea beds or objects, and the distance is then calculated.