Work

Terrestrial Mesonychia to Aquatic Cetacea: Transformation of the Basicranium and Evolution of Hearing in Whales

Year: 1999

Type: article

Abstract: and cetaceans: ectotympanic 17 and cetaceans 70 a conical tympanic ligament, decreasing any capacity for hearing air-borne sound in later archaeocetes; and(3) shifting of the tympanic articulation to the petrosal permitting more complete isolation of the petrotympanic complex from the rest of the cranium.Degree of development of pachyosteosclerosis of the petrotympanic complex, isolation of the petrotympanic complex from surrounding bones, and development of vascular sinuses in the basicranium, indicate that Pakicetus retained full capacity for hearing airborne sound; protocetids could hear water-borne sound but directional hearing was weakly developed; and basilosaurids probably had at least some capacity for directional hearing.High resolution directional hearing using high-frequency sound, indispensable for echolocation, was not achieved in any known archaeocete.Divergence of ultrasonic hearing in odontocetes from infrasonic hearing in mysticetes occurred after modern cetaceans diverged from basilosaurids.

Source: Deep Blue (University of Michigan)

Authors: Zhe‐Xi Luo, Philip D. Gingerich

Language: English

Topic: Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies

Subfield: Anatomy

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society

Awards: 17N: A WOCE Hydrographic Program Section in the Western Indian Ocean: University of Alaska Fairbanks Participation, Archaeocete Whales of Eocene Tethys: Geochronology, Paleobiology and Evolution, G6671297155

OpenAlex ID: W61293311

FWCI: 12.46

Cites:

Cited by: 129

Related to: 10