Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins

Abstract

Although bats and dolphins live in very different environments, are vastly different in size, and hunt different kinds of prey, both groups have evolved similar sonar systems, known as echolocation, to locate food and navigate the skies and seas. While much research has been conducted over the past 30 years on echolocation in bats and dolphins, this volume is the first to compare what is known about echolocation in each group, to point out what information is missing and to identity future areas of research. Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins consists of six sections: mechanisms of echolocation signal production; the anatomy and physiology of signal reception and interpretation; performance and cognition; ecological and evolutionary aspects of echolocation mammals; theoretical and methodological topics; and possible echolocation capability in other mammals, including shrews, seals and baleen whales. Animal behaviourists, ecologists, physiologists and both scientists and engineers who work in the field of bioacoustics should benefit from this book.