Whales and bats use echolocation for orientation
Q. What technique whales use for orientation and travelling?- Published on 18 Jan 16a. Sight and pressure changes
b. Smell and sight
c. Echolocation
d. Touch and water flow
ANSWER: Echolocation
Echolocation is the use of sound waves and echoes to determine where objects are in space. Bats use echolocation to navigate and find food in the dark. Sensitivity to low frequency sound is the key for whales, as they use echolocation for orientation. Episodes of mass stranding of whales across the world show pilot whales to be the most commonly involved in the phenomenon. More than one hypothesis on stranding of whales, including short-finned pilot whales that died in large numbers on the Thoothukudi coast in Tamil Nadu, point to hearing sensitivity of these toothed mammals implicated in such events. It is possible, for instance, that a combination of environmental factors such as high levels of man-made noise from shipping activity, the resulting hearing loss and new stresses might be affecting their behavior. Injury caused to one pilot whale could have implications for an entire pod, as these squid-eating creatures generally found in deeper tropical and sub-tropical waters across the world act in a gregarious manner and could fatally follow a sick individual to the shore as a group. This protected species is also affected by intensive fishery methods such as trawling, gillnetting and use of long lines, leading to regulations on their use in North America.
