Echolocation

WHAT IS ECHOLOCATION?
Echolocation is a physiological process for locating objects which are distant or invisible such
as prey by sound waves reflected back to the creature who has released it (such as a bat) by
the objects. Echolocation is used by many different animals such as a few birds, bats, whales,
dolphins and sometimes a hedgehog.
ECHOLOCATION IS USED BY HUMANS?
Humans also have the ability of echolocation which allows them to detect various objects in
their environment by sensing the echoes from those objects, by actively creating sounds. For
example, by tapping their canes, lightly stomping their foot, snapping their fingers, or making
clicking noises with their mouths. Some blind humans also use the echoes of their own
sounds to detect items which are around them as they can’t see.
HOW DO WE USE ECHOLOCATION?
There are many reasons for us people to use echolocation. People who have disabilities or
are disabled use echolocation more as they have to detect objects when they need to. Such
disabilities include blindness, disabled people, etc. This ability allows the person to move
around in pitch darkness so it is easy for them to find what or who they are finding as well as
avoid such obstacles.
HOW DOES ECHOLOCATION WORK?
When an animal or human makes a sound the sound wave that bounces off an object returns
as an echo that provides information of the object that how far it is and what size it is of so
that the animal or human could be warned of that object.