Odontocete Echolocation Performance on Object Size, Shape and Material

Abstract

A cetacean swimming in its natural environment must frequently encounter a variety of sources for returning echos. An echolocation system which only allowed for the detection of objects would be insufficient for gathering information necessary to meet needs like prey location and predator avoidance. The ability of cetaceans to differentiate and recognize characteristics of objects via echolocation has an obvious biological benefit. The purpose of this paper is to review the behavioral experiments that have examined delphinid abilities to differentiate between objects differing in size, shape, or material.