echolocating
Sensing by sound-bounce
Echolocating is the present participle of echolocate, describing the act of using sound waves to navigate or locate objects.
Bats and dolphins are the creatures most associated with this ability: they emit calls and interpret the returning echoes to build a picture of their surroundings.
The bat was echolocating as it hunted insects in the dark.
The term extends to sonar technology that works on the same principle.
Inaudible high-frequency waves
- soundwaveTraveling pressure disturbance
- clicksBrief sharp sounds
- pulsesRhythmic throbs or edible legumes
- echoesReflected sound waves
frequency · pitch · waveform · amplitude · resonance · reflection · transmission · hertz
Echolocating marine mammal
- whaleHuge sea mammal
- porpoiseSmall toothed whale relative
- belugaWhite Arctic cetacean
- orcaLarge predatory dolphin
pod · clicks · melon · blowhole · underwater · deep-sea · oceanic · prey
Active during darkness
- insectivorousFeeding on six-legged creatures
- chiropteraScientific name for bats
- roostingSettling to sleep aloft
- caveUnderground hollow in rock
colony · moth · foraging · flight · hunting · leaf-nosed · microbat · wing
Position relative to surroundings
- distanceSpace between two points
- locatingDetermining position of
- targetObject of pursuit
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
environment · darkness · murky · terrain · pathfinding · homing · tracking · detection
Lacking the sense of sight
- caneStick for support
- mobilityCapacity for movement
- trainingDeveloping abilities through practice
- learnedHaving much knowledge
adaptation · accessibility · independence · surroundings · obstacles · walls
ultrasound
Inaudible high-frequency waves
- soundwaveTraveling pressure disturbance
- clicksBrief sharp sounds
- pulsesRhythmic throbs or edible legumes
echoes · frequency · pitch · waveform · amplitude · resonance · reflection · transmission · hertz · kilohertz
dolphin
Echolocating marine mammal
orca · pod · clicks · melon · blowhole · underwater · deep-sea · oceanic · prey · fish
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- insectivorousFeeding on six-legged creatures
- chiropteraScientific name for bats
- roostingSettling to sleep aloft
cave · colony · moth · foraging · flight · hunting · leaf-nosed · microbat · wing · night
orientation
Position relative to surroundings
mapping · environment · darkness · murky · terrain · pathfinding · homing · tracking · detection · ranging
blind
Lacking the sense of sight
learned · adaptation · accessibility · independence · surroundings · obstacles · walls