Science Common Sense

104 - How do animals use echolocation?

Imagine you're in a dark room and can't see anything. That's how some animals feel when it's dark or they're in places with no light. To 'see' their surroundings, they use a special trick called echolocation.

Here's how it works:

1. The animal makes a high-pitched sound, like a bird chirping or a bat squeaking.
2. The sound travels through the air and hits objects around them.
3. The sound bounces back to the animal as an echo.
4. The animal uses its ears to hear the echo and figure out where the objects are and how far away they are.

Some animals that use echolocation are:

• Bats: They use their squeaks to find insects to eat and to avoid crashing into things.
• Dolphins: They use clicks to find their food in the ocean and to swim around without bumping into anything.
• Whales: Some whales also use echolocation to find food in the dark ocean.

It's like having your own built-in sonar system, and it's super helpful for animals that live in dark places.