Who is credited with the discovery of echolocation?

Lazaro Spallanzani is credited with the discovery of echolocation due to his pioneering experiments in the late 18th century. He conducted research on bats and other animals, demonstrating that they could navigate and locate objects in the dark using high-frequency sounds. Spallanzani's work laid the foundational understanding of how sound waves could be used to detect objects, which is essentially the principle of echolocation. His findings provided significant insights into animal behavior and sensory biology, influencing later research in both biology and technology, including the development of sonar.

The other figures mentioned, while notable in various scientific fields, did not specifically contribute to the discovery or understanding of echolocation in the same way.