"Swim bladders are gas bags within a fish that help the fish to be buoyant at any specific depth," Au explained. "Gas bags are probably the best reflector of acoustic energy underwater." Au likened killer whale echolocation to a person wearing a miner's cap with a blinking light on it. Each time the light blinks on, the individual receives information about what's around. The study's findings will be presented at next week's Acoustical Society of America meeting in Miami, Fla. Among whales, only toothed species use echolocation. Au therefore suspects other toothed whales, such as sperm whales, possess the killer whale's choosy, long-distance mealtime behavior. Bottlenose dolphins appear to fall in the discriminating eater group too. Marine biologist Ronald Schusterman of the University of California's Long Marine Laboratory told Discovery News that the new study results "are consistent with work done on bottlenose dolphins in captivity showing that they can recognize objects rather easily by means of echolocation." He explained, "Apparently, the reflected echoes from these objects allow these animals to form some type of representation of the object within the auditory portions of the brain." While Schusterman said the exact brain mechanisms remain a mystery, it's believed "trial and error," along with social learning, allow the marine mammals to fine tune their food-finding skills. Related Links: |
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