WRITING SAMPLE: Oceanarium, Shedd Aquarium

What a Melon Head!

The forehead, or melon, of all toothed whales focuses the sounds used in echolocation, the whales’ sonar system. But a beluga’s very fat melon is special, because you can actually see it change shape.

In echolocation, a series of high-frequency chirps or clicks are sent from the nasal passages through the oil-filled melon. They bounce off objects and return to the whale as echoes, providing accurate information about what’s out there.

When trainers are in the water close to our whales and dolphins, they can feel the echolocation as a tingling vibration.