Seeing with Sound — Echolocation

Dolphins can SEE with SOUND! This is called echolocation. A dolphin produces rapid clicking sounds from a special fatty organ in its forehead called the MELON. These clicks travel through the water, bounce off objects (fish, rocks, the ocean floor), and echo back to the dolphin. The dolphin's jawbone picks up the returning echoes and sends them to the brain. From these echoes, the dolphin creates a detailed 'sound picture' of everything around it — even in murky or completely dark water!