Echolocation
28 Aug 2023 2 mins Download PDF
Echolocation
- A technique in which animals or devices emits sound waves, and listens for their reflections by objects in their surroundings.
- The sound waves emitted will be in the nature of high-frequency sound pulses, often beyond the range of human hearing.
- 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.
- This technique is also used to create devices like sonar and radar.
- SONAR- ‘Sound navigation and ranging’, widely used for underwater navigation, communications.
- 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.
- Recently, this technique is employed in smartphone apps to help people with visual impairments navigate their environment better.
MCQ:
Consider the following options:
- Whales
- Bats
- Tenrec
- Tawny oilbirds
- swiftlets
How many among above employ the technique of ‘echolocation’?
- Only 2
- Only 3
- Only 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.
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