🐬How Do Dolphins Use Echolocation? Echolocation is a sensory sonar system that cetaceans use for communication, navigation and foraging. Dolphins echolocate by releasing a focused beam of clicking sounds (sound waves) and listening to the echo. From this, they can tell the size, shape and distance of an object such as, land masses or prey. This allows them to navigate, and catch their food. Sound waves are created in the nasal sacs and focused through the melon-in front of the dolphin's blowhol