How does the sperm whale take the sun with it when it dives to feed?
Sincerely, Michael Furnish
Dear Michael,
The sperm whale dives to very deep depths, for sure. Obviously they do not
take the sun with them on their dives - in fact, they do not "see" their
prey as we think of it in a visual sense. Instead, sperm whales are
equipped with very sophisticated echolocation abilities, which allows the
whale to "visualize" their prey utilizing sound waves that are bounced off
of any object in the water column. Just like bats navigate at night, just
like a radar can detect boats and buoys, sperm whales have a very similar
"radar" system in their heads!
Thank you for your question.
Sincerely,
Lisa Foerster
Director
Center for Oceanic Research and Education
www.coreresearch.org
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