Sound is energy. The louder the sound an animal can hear, the greater the potential for damage to their ear. Whales and other marine organisms rely on their hearing for everyday functions like communicating, searching for food, and finding a safe shelter for protection. Therefore, they are very sensitive to hearing. When we go swimming or sailing many people find the experience to be relaxing and quiet, however for marine life, the noise in water can be so loud that it can lead to death. Odontocetes (toothed whales such as dolphins or porpoises) have ears that are separated from the skull and placed well apart, which assists them with localizing sounds so they can find prey. As humans, we are only sensitive to approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz whereas whales are sensitive to from 16 Hz to 200,000 Hz. We have the ability to cause noises (acoustic noise pollution) in the ocean that can cause serious damage to whales and other marine life in the ocean.