Marine Biology

Ecolocation

             Echolocation enables odonocetes to"see" with their ears by listening the echoes. Using echolocation, odontocetes can determine the size, shape, speed, distance and direction of objects in the water. Clicks are made by the nasal plugs located just inside the blowhole of the animals head. The clicks pass through the melon (the rounded region of the forehead) to focus the sound waves in front of the animal.

             The sound waves travel through the water, bounce off objects and return to the animal in the form of an echo. The sounds are received and conducted through the fat-filled cavities of the lower jaw to the inner ear and then to the large specialized hearing centers in the brain where the sound is interpreted.