Every toothed whale except the sperm whale has two sets of phonic lips and is thus capable of making two sounds independently. [30] Once the air has passed the phonic lips it enters the vestibular sac .

Dec 20, 2019 · Based on studies of dolphins, scientists have an idea of how toothed whales echolocate. The animals make sonar-like clicks by moving air from the nasopharyngeal air space through the phonic lips into the vestibular sacs. Scientists now think whales pause echolocation to recycle air back into the nasopharyngeal sac. © Dr Alina Loth, Engaged Art.

Feb 7, 2025 · To produce the pulses of sound used in echolocation, a toothed whale blows air through a vibrating tissue, called the phonic lips, in its nasal passages, which lie beneath its blowhole. The clicking sound travels through a fatty organ, called the melon, on the whale’s forehead and then travels out through the water .

When the whale is submerged, it can close the blowhole, and air that passes through the phonic lips can circulate back to the lungs. The sperm whale, unlike other odontocetes, has only one pair of phonic lips, whereas all other toothed whales have two, [107] and it is located at the front of the nose instead of behind the melon.

A killer whale echolocates by producing clicks and then receiving and interpreting the resulting echo. The echolocating killer whale uses its phonic lips to produce directional, broadband clicks in rapid succession, called a train.

Members of the Odontoceti group, including species like the sperm whale and various dolphins, communicate using a rich array of sounds. They generate these sounds in the nasal passage near the blowhole with structures known as phonic lips.

How does echolocation work in whales and dolphins? Echolocation relies on sending and receiving sounds. Toothed whales create noises by blowing air through what is known as their “phonic lips,” a vibrating tissue located along their nasal passage, beneath the blowhole on the top of their head.

Mar 3, 2023 · Peter Madsen, a sensory physiology professor and expert in whale biology at Aarhus University in Denmark, said: "Echolocating toothed whales make the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom by forcing highly pressurised air past structures called phonic lips in their nose".

Mar 14, 2023 · The question of how the whale got its voice has been solved by scientists, who have discovered how the creatures use “phonic lips” in their noses to produce the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom.

Mar 7, 2023 · But now, new research shows that humans aren’t the only species that can produce this guttural vibration—dolphins and other toothed whales routinely use an air-driven nasal sound akin to...