Marine animals use sound to help navigate through their underwater environment. Listening to sounds, such as waves crashing on the beach, may help animals orient themselves in nearshore areas. In ice covered waters, seals can find breathing holes by listening to the sound of cracking ice. Fishes have adaptations that provide them with different ways to hear underwater sounds and feel vibrations; however, fishes have not been shown to use sound to navigate

Some marine mammals also actively use sound to aid in navigation. Toothed whales (odontocetes), use echolocation sounds to detect, localize and characterize objects, including obstacles, prey and one another. These whales send out sounds that are reflected back when they strike an object. This echolocation helps these whales and dolphins navigate through water.

Toothed whales, such as these orcas, use sound to navigate through water. Photo courtesy of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory.

For more information on how specific marine animals use sound to navigate, use the following link:

Marine Mammals