Echolocation in toothed whales

There are two suborders of whales: baleen whales and toothed whales.  Baleen whales use baleen, combs of Keratin that can filter ocean water and trap krill and other small creatures, to feed whereas toothed whales have teeth used to prey upon fish, marine mammals, crustaceans and cephalopods. Toothed whales also have the ability to echolocate. This site will focus on how and why toothed whales (odonoceti) use echolocation to navigate and detect food and other objects. In addition, this site will address the origin and evolution of toothed whales, the mechanisms behind echolocation, the ontogeny behind these mechanisms, and the adaptive value of echolocation in toothed whales.