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echolocation |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.06 sec. |
echolocationPhysiological process for locating distant or invisible objects (such as prey) by emitting sound waves that are reflected back to the emitter by the objects. Echolocation is used by an animal to orient itself, avoid obstacles, find food, and interact socially. Most bats employ echolocation, as do most, if not all, toothed whales (but apparently no baleen whales), a few shrews, and two kinds of birds (oilbirds and certain cave swiftlets). Echolocation pulses consist of short bursts of sound at frequencies ranging from about 1,000 Hz in birds to at least 200,000 Hz in whales. Bats use frequencies from about 30,000 to about 120,000 Hz. echolocation determination of the position of an object by measuring the time taken for an echo to return from it and its direction How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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They don't necessarily need their vision to fly or catch insects because they are also able to echolocate. Some echolocating species have close relatives that apparently possess the anatomical means to echolocate but don't use it, implying that avian echolocation is a behavior that some species simply haven't learned. Thanks to this ability to echolocate, they "see" in much finer detail the scene that the goggles present to me. |
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