General culture test. What is echolocation?

What is echolocation? Echolocation, a physiological process for detecting distant or invisible objects (such as prey), relies on sound waves that are reflected back to the emitter (such as a bat) by those objects.

This ability is used for orientation, obstacle avoidance, foraging and social interactions.

Echolocation is used by most bats (all members of the suborder Microchiroptera and a gender, Rousettusfrom Megachiroptera); of almost all toothed whales and porpoises (Odontocetes), but apparently not by humpback whales; of several species of chitcans and two types of birds: the Guacharo bird (Steatornis caripensis), from northern South America, and certain birds Collocalia, in Southeast Asia.

What is echolocation?

What is echolocation? Echolocation pulses consist of short bursts of sound, with frequencies ranging from about 1,000 hertz (in birds) to at least 200,000 hertz (in whales). Bats use frequencies ranging from 11,000 hertz (eg the bat Tadarida teniotis) up to 212,000 hertz (eg bat Cloeotis percivali). The repetition rate of these pulsations varies, often depending on the situation, starting at about one pulsation per second and reaching several hundred per second (for example, in a bat approaching the target).

At bats Microchiroptera and in some toothed whales, a mutant form of a protein called loan it increases their sensitivity to high-frequency sounds, thus facilitating the detection of echoes. Almost identical molecular structure of the gene loan in these animals, different from the structure of the gene loan found in other mammals, is an example of convergent evolution. In this case, the two groups independently evolved the same form of the protein required for echolocation, responding to similar environmental pressures, explained Britannica.

We recommend you also read:

An immortal creature can create a contagious form of cancer

General culture test. Where does it “rain with fish” every year?

Here is the only animal that is not affected by microplastics!

General culture test. How do penguins differ from each other?