There are many ways that animals can adapt. This form of adaptation is usually an advantage and unique to these animals. This echolocation ability is one of them. Not all animals can do this. Read this article to learn more about echolocation.

Robert Galambos and Donal Griffin were the first to coin and use the term echolocation in 1938. But before that, an Italian scientist, Lazzaro Spallanzani, had conducted experiments on bats and concluded that bats navigate not by sight but by sight. by ear.

echolocation or echolocation is the ability of animals to detect the distance or location of an object based on the help of reflected sound or sound waves (biosonar).

Animals with echolocation abilities will usually deliberately make a sound first so that the sound reflects and casts a shadow on this animal with respect to the distance, location, size, shape, and even texture of a surrounding object.

There are some animals that have excellent echolocation abilities and these are used to aid their survival. Here are the animals.

1. Bats

Bats are animals that carry out activities at night. These animals do not have sharp eyesight so they can rely on the ability to reflect sound waves.

Bats make high-pitched sounds that are sometimes beyond the range of human hearing. This sound then reflects and becomes a direction for the bat.

Echolocation of bats is by emitting sounds through the mouth or nose. Where then the sound it emits will be reflected by the objects around it. Through this sound reflection, bats obtain information about the location, distance and shape of objects around them.

These insectivorous animals can detect sound waves ranging from 20 kilohertz to 200 kilohertz. Even one of the bat species that is myotis lucifugus capable of producing sound waves so loud that they can damage the ears of people who hear them. The power of sound waves of this species reaches 120 dB.

2. Whales and dolphins

The depths of the sea are very deep and dark, which means that these marine mammals cannot rely on sight to guide their navigation. Whales and dolphins use their echolocation ability to determine their distance from nearby objects.

In addition to detecting objects, whales and dolphins also use this echolocation ability to determine swimming direction, avoid obstacles, determine the location of prey, and determine sea depth.

Whales and dolphins do not have vocal cords, but they can produce sonar waves and ultrasonic waves. Dolphins even use these sound waves as a means of communicating with other dolphins.

Because they don’t have vocal cords, whales and dolphins can produce sound waves by moving the air in their bodies.

Dolphins emit high-pitched sound waves from their foreheads which then send a signal into the water. If there is an object nearby, the sound will be reflected and produce an echo.

3. Shrubs

The shrew or often also called muskrat, shrew or munggis. These animals are often considered to be the same species as mice, but in reality these animals belong to a different class. Rats are included in rodents or Rodentia while shrews belong to the order Soricomorpha.

Bushes are animals that eat insects and have a small mouse-like body. The shrews that are commonly found are domestic shrews or in scientific language they are called Suncus murinus L. Shrubs are vectors or carriers of diseases similar to rats and mice.

The shrew is one of the family Soricidae who had very poor eyesight even the children of the shrews were born blind. Due to this poor eyesight, shrews rely on their echolocation abilities to navigate and hunt at night.

The shrew will open and close its mouth to emit a low intensity sound to measure and locate its prey.

But in addition to having the ability to echolocate, shrews also rely on their very sensitive sense of touch.

4. Pigeons

Animal experts are still debating the ability of pigeons to echolocate because these birds have vision and other senses that are quite good compared to the vision of other echolocating animals.

Pigeon echolocation is performed using low-frequency sound waves. This echolocation is used to show the directional map path that has been recorded in the brain of this bird.

The echolocation ability of the pigeon is even capable of detecting the earth’s magnetic field at a certain level with the help of the nerves located in its nose. This ability helps the pigeon to return to the nest safely and without hindrance.

The ability of the concept of echolocation in animals has inspired humans to develop a new technology. One of the technologies inspired by the concept of echolocation is the sonar technology used for ships.

The sonar capability of this ship is used to determine the presence of other ships in the vicinity and also to be able to determine the depth of the sea and is useful in night fishing activities.