echolocation

Thân thiện

A bat uses echolocation to navigate through a dark cave.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • The biological process of locating objects by emitting sounds and interpreting the echoes: A sensory system used by certain animals, such as bats and dolphins, to navigate and hunt in their environment by producing sounds and analyzing the returning echoes.
   • A technical method for determining position using reflected sound waves: The general principle of using emitted sound and its echo to calculate the distance to or location of an object.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Bats use echolocation to navigate in complete darkness.
  • The submarine's sonar system is based on the principle of echolocation.
  • Scientists study the sophisticated echolocation of toothed whales.

Advanced Usage

• "to use echolocation": to employ this biological or technical method for navigation or detection.
  • The blind person learned to use a form of human echolocation by making clicking sounds.
• "echolocation calls/signals": the specific sounds emitted for the purpose of echolocation.
  • Researchers recorded the high-frequency echolocation calls of the bat colony.

Variants and Related Words

• Echolocate (verb): To practice or utilize echolocation.
  • Dolphins can echolocate with incredible accuracy.
• Biosonar (noun): A synonym specifically for the biological form of echolocation used by animals.

Synonyms

• Sonar (noun): (Technical) Sound Navigation and Ranging; a device or method for detecting objects underwater using sound waves.
• Biosonar (noun): (Biological) The natural sonar system of animals.

Related Phrases

• Echolocation ability: The capacity to use echolocation.
  • The oil spill may have damaged the dolphins' echolocation ability.

Học thuật

Noun

1. determining the location of something by measuring the time it takes for an echo to return from it

Từ đồng nghĩa

• echo sounding