Dolphins, porpoises, killer whales, sperm whales and other toothed whales produce an array of sounds — to find prey employing a sonar-like system called echolocation and to communicate with other members of their species.
The exact mechanism they use had long remained puzzling — until now. It turns out it is all in the nose.
Researchers on Thursday offered a comprehensive explanation for sound production by toothed whales — loud clicks for echolocation, and softer burst pulses and whistles for communication. It is an air-driven system in the nose, analogous to the larynx, or voice box, in humans and other mammals and the comparable syrinx in birds.