How does echolocation help some whales and dolphins navigate and locate food?

Toothed whales and dolphins use echolocation to navigate and find food by generating high-frequency clicking sounds. These clicks are produced by passing air through phonic lips in the nasal passages and are focused through a fatty organ on the forehead known as the melon.123

When these sound waves strike an object, they bounce back as echoes. The animal receives these returning vibrations through an acoustic window in its lower jaw, which conveys the information to the inner ear. This process allows them to create a detailed spatial map of their surroundings, enabling them to detect obstacles or locate prey—such as fish—even in dark or murky water where vision is ineffective.231

Because noise pollution from human activities like shipping and sonar can interfere with these sensitive acoustic signals, it poses a significant threat to the survival and well-being of these marine animals.4