What is the effective range of biosonar?

Our take

Biosonar, utilized by various marine creatures, allows them to navigate and locate objects within their environment through sound waves. However, the effective range of biosonar is influenced by several factors, including distance to surfaces, water depth, temperature variations, and background noise levels. While some studies suggest that a blue whale could potentially hear another's song across vast distances, this does not equate to visual perception through echolocation. Instead, it highlights the complex interplay of environmental conditions that affect sound transmission in the ocean.

Can a creature with biosonar get an accurate read on *anything* within earshot, and to what degree does that reading deteriorate with distance?

I realize that there are many, many factors that go into answering this question, ranging from distance to surface, how shallow the water is, the water's temperature and whether it interfaces with water of a different temperature or salinity level, amount and intensity and frequency of background noise, etc, so it's not like there's going to be a single one-size-fits-all answer.

I've heard that a blue whale near the Cape of Good Hope could potentially, under the exact right conditions, hear the song of another blue whale off the coast of Argentina; does this mean said whales could potentially "see" each other with echolocation?

submitted by /u/Wyrd_Alphonse
[link] [comments]

Read on the original site

Open the publisher's page for the full experience

View original article →

Tagged with

#biosonar#effective range#echolocation#distance#accuracy#blue whale#surface#water temperature#salinity level#accuracy deterioration#background noise#Cape of Good Hope#Argentina#hearing#shallow water#intensity#frequency#conditions#marine biology#readings