Echolocation

1. A technique in which animals or devices emits sound waves, and listens for their reflections by objects in their surroundings.
2. The sound waves emitted will be in the nature of high-frequency sound pulses, often beyond the range of human hearing. 
3. Bats due to their poor eyesight uses this ability to hunt and navigate in the dark, while dolphins use it to locate objects and communicate underwater. 
4. This technique is also used to create devices like sonar and radar.
   1. SONAR- ‘Sound navigation and ranging’, widely used for underwater navigation, communications.
   2. RADAR- ‘Radio detection and ranging’ – is used in aviation, weather forecasting, and military applications, to detect and track objects by bouncing radio waves off them.
5. Recently, this technique is employed in smartphone apps to help people with visual impairments navigate their environment better.

MCQ:

Consider the following options:

1. Whales
2. Bats
3. Tenrec
4. Tawny oilbirds
5. swiftlets

How many among above employ the technique of ‘echolocation’?

1. Only 2
2. Only 3
3. Only 4
4. All five

Ans: d)

Explanation:

Bats, Dolphins, Whales and some birds, such as the tawny oilbirds, swiftlets and the tenrec (from Madagascar) use echolocation to hunt or navigate.