• Question: What is the range of the sonar that dolphins use locate fish e.g

    Asked by shadowxz14 to Charlotte, Jo, Kevin, Louise, Valeria on 17 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Joanna Cruden

      Joanna Cruden answered on 17 Jun 2012:

      From what I can find they use high pitched clicks like a medical ultra sound probe but less clear, and with each echo they can locate a fish as some sound will reflect off the skin of the fish

    • Photo: Valeria Senigaglia

      Valeria Senigaglia answered on 18 Jun 2012:

      It depends on the temperature of the water and the sea floor shape. In fact sound waves loose energy (so they don’t travel as far, due to attenuation or refraction of the wave) if there are obstacles in their way as an underwater canyon or if the temperature is high the sound speed is also high.

      As a comment, dolphins’ echolocation could detect a pregnancy before medical ultra sound!

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