ECHOLOCATION
- ENVIRONMENT
News:
Echolocation: What goes
around comes around
What's
in the news?
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Based on what the reflected waves, or
echoes, sound like, the animal or device understands its environment.
Echolocation:
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Echolocation, also called bio sonar, is a biological sonar used
by several animal species.
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Echolocating animals emit calls out to the
environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various
objects near them.
Features:
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This intricate technique is a primary sensory tool for animals such as
bats, dolphins, and certain other species, facilitating precise object
localisation through the analysis of reflected sound waves.
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They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects.
Echolocation is used for navigation, foraging, and hunting in various
environments
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Animals adept in echolocation emit calls
into their environment and subsequently capture and interpret the returning
echoes of these calls from nearby objects.
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It is widely used for underwater navigation, communications, and even as a method to find
fish.
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It empowers these animals to navigate
seamlessly in absolute darkness, supporting activities like hunting, discerning
friends from foes, and evading obstacles.
Working:
1.
Sound Emission:
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Animals capable of echolocation emit
high-frequency sounds, often beyond the range of human hearing.
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These sounds are usually clicks, whistles,
or chirps. The specific frequencies and patterns of these sounds can vary
between species.
2.
Sound Reflection:
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When these emitted sounds encounter
objects in the environment, they bounce off those objects and create echoes.
3.
Echo Reception:
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The animal's ears or specialized auditory
structures are highly sensitive to detecting the echoes.
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They can interpret the timing, intensity,
and frequency of the echoes to determine the distance, size, shape, texture,
and even movement of objects around them.
4.
Processing:
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The brain processes the information from
the echoes to build a mental map of the surroundings.
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Animals can use this information to
navigate, locate prey, avoid obstacles, and communicate with other members of
their species.