Dolphins can tell if a human woman is pregnant by using echolocation, some experts say.

The process is called echolocation, and it is one some experts say could be used by dolphins to sense if a human female is pregnant. Echolocation is a process similar to the one doctors use to image a developing human fetus – both involve ultrasound.
Says Mike Walsh, aquatic animal vet at the University of Florida:

It would seem logical that they would have the potential to discriminate between different humans who are pregnant or not. After all, water is the perfect medium for ultrasound. Still, the dolphins may not know that what they’re seeing inside the pregnant woman is a person.’

Echolocation is an ability the dolphins develop over time, according to scientists. However, it is one that requires a closely-monitored study to make a definitive inference, according to Lori Matino, a neuroscientist who studies cetacean intelligence at Emory University in Atlanta.