Humans have five well-developed senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch). We see the world in rich color and hear a wide range of sounds (about 20 to 20,000 hertz). Many animals, however, surpass us in specific abilities and even have extra senses humans lack. These help them navigate, find food, avoid predators, and communicate in ways we can barely imagine.

Most of us rely on our eyes to see, but some animals navigate by sound. Echolocation is the ability to emit high-pitched sounds and read the returning echoes, effectively “seeing” with the ears. Bats use ultrasonic clicks (far above human hearing) to map their surroundings and catch insects mid-flight with pinpoint accuracy.

Dolphins and some whales echolocate underwater. They send out rapid clicks and interpret echoes to hunt and avoid obstacles in murky water. Bats typically use echolocation at shorter ranges (around 10 m or 30 ft), ideal for forests and caves. Dolphins can work at much longer distances, exceeding 90 m (300 ft) in the ocean.