Echolocation: system that allows navigation and finding prey.
Teethed cetaceans are animals that feed mainly on fish and squid, echolocation. As they are in an environment that may have reduced visibility, these marine mammals use a system that allows navigation and finding prey. This system takes advantage of the good propagation that sound has in the water.
These animals have membranes that produce sound that is then amplified by another organ called a melon.
These sound waves travel through the water until they hit an object. When reflected, they are captured by these marine mammals, through a special tissue found in their jaws. The brain then interprets the distance at which the prey may be and forms an “image” of the surroundings.
The four species of cetaceans that are resident here in the Azores are part of the toothed cetaceans and, as such, use this system.
