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:
- The animal makes a high-pitched sound, like a bird chirping or a bat squeaking.
- The sound travels through the air and hits objects around them.
- The sound bounces back to the animal as an echo.
- 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.