Other Vertebrate Groups

Abstract

The ability of bats to determine the distance, speed and often the nature of a target by listening to the echoes of their own cries, whether audible or ultrasonic, was discussed in Chapter 3. This ability is not confined to bats, however. Echo-location using audible cries has now been demonstrated in two genera of birds and in porpoises, while the dolphins use wide-band signals extending into the ultrasonic range. An echo-location function has also been claimed for the sounds produced by several other mammalian groups, although these may eventually prove to be examples of intraspecific communication. All of these cases will be examined in this chapter.