Echolocation - Whale Glossary

Advertisement.

EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site.
As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.
Click here to learn more.

Join Enchanted Learning Site subscriptions last 12 months. Click here for more information on site membership.
$20.00/year or other amount (directly by Credit Card)	$20.00/year or other amount (via PayPal)	$20.00/year or other amount (for sending a check by mail)	$20.00/year or other amount (for subscribing by school purchase order)
As a thank-you bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages.

(Already a member? Click here.)

Zoom Whales
Whale Glossary

U-Z

Echolocation

Toothed whales use echolocation to sense objects. In echolocation, a high-pitched sound (usually clicks) is sent out by the whale. The sound bounces off the object and some returns to the whale. The whale interprets this returning echo to determine the object's shape, direction, distance, and texture. Bats and some other marine mammals also use echolocation.

A toothed whale's echolocation starts with a series of low-frequency clicks (called a train) produced by the animal. This train passes through the melon of the whale (a fat-filled organ in the head of the toothed whale that focuses the sound wave). The train of clicks is focused into a beam that bounces off objects and reflects (echoes) back to the whale.

The echoed sound waves are received in the fat-filled cavities of the lower jaw-bone. These sounds are conducted through the bone to the ear and the brain, where the location of the object is interpreted. The whale can determine the distance to an object, its size, shape, the speed that the object is travelling, and its texture.

Enchanted Learning^®
Over 20,000 Web Pages.
Sample Pages for Prospective Subscribers

Overview of Site
What's New
Enchanted Learning Home
Monthly Activity Calendar
Books to Print
Site Index

K-3
Crafts
K-3 Themes
Little Explorers
Picture dictionary
PreK/K Activities
Rebus Rhymes
Stories

Writing
Cloze Activities
Essay Topics
Newspaper
Writing Activities
Parts of Speech

Fiction
The Test of Time

Biology
Animal Printouts
Biology Label Printouts
Biomes
Birds
Butterflies
Dinosaurs
Food Chain
Human Anatomy
Mammals
Plants
Rainforests
Sharks
Whales

Physical Sciences
Astronomy
The Earth
Geology
Hurricane
Landforms
Oceans
Tsunami
Volcano

Languages
Dutch
French
German
Italian
Japanese (Romaji)
Portuguese
Spanish
Swedish

Geography/History
Explorers
Flags
Geography
Inventors
US History

Other Topics
Art and Artists
Calendars
Crafts
Graphic Organizers
Label Me! Printouts
Math
Music

Click to read our Privacy Policy

E-mail

Enchanted Learning Search

First search engine with spelling correction and pictures!

Advertisement.

Advertisement.