Biomechanics of dolphin hearing: a comparison of middle and inner ear stiffness with other mammalian species

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TitleBiomechanics of dolphin hearing: a comparison of middle and inner ear stiffness with other mammalian species
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsMiller, Brian, S., S. O. Newburg, A. L. Zosuls, D. C. Mountain, and D. R. Ketten
EditorsNuttal, A. L., T. Ren, P. Gillespie, K. Grosh, and E. de Boer
Book TitleAuditory Mechanisms: Processes and Models
ChapterBiomechanics of dolphin hearing: a comparison of middle and inner ear stiffness with other mammalian species
Pagination121-124
PublisherWorld Scientific Publishing Company
CitySingapore
ISBN981-256-824-7
Keywordsbiomechanics, dolphin hearing, inner ear stiffness, middle ear stiffness
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to measure both middle ear stiffness and basilar membrane stiffness for the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and compare these results with similar measures in other mammalian species. It was found that the point stiffness of the bottlenose dolphin basilar membrane has a gradient from 20 N/m near the base to 1.5 N/m near the apex and the middle ear has a stiffness of 1.37 x 106 N/m. These values are considerable higher than those reported for most terrestrial mammals, yet consistent with species specialized for high-frequency hearing.