The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean
Cetaceans possess highly derived auditory systems adapted for underwater hearing. Odontocetes, or toothed whales, are thought to use specialized acoustic fats for sound reception. However, sound reception pathways in baleen whales, or mysticetes, are unknown. We investigated the auditory system of t...
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ftdtic:ADA570376 2023-05-15T15:36:09+02:00 The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean Yamato, Maya MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE JOINT PROGRAM IN APPLIED OCEAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2012-09 text/html http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA570376 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA570376 en eng http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA570376 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. DTIC Biochemistry Biology Anatomy and Physiology *CETACEA *FATS *HEARING ACOUSTIC VELOCITY AUDITORY PERCEPTION EAR FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS HEAD(ANATOMY) LIPIDS MORPHOLOGY(BIOLOGY) SOUND TRANSMISSION THESES TISSUES(BIOLOGY) UNDERWATER ODONTOCETES ACOUSTIC FATS SOUND RECEPTION MYSTICETES EAR FATS MINKE WHALES BALEEN WHALES Text 2012 ftdtic 2016-02-24T09:51:26Z Cetaceans possess highly derived auditory systems adapted for underwater hearing. Odontocetes, or toothed whales, are thought to use specialized acoustic fats for sound reception. However, sound reception pathways in baleen whales, or mysticetes, are unknown. We investigated the auditory system of the minke whale (small mysticete species) through dissections, biomedical imaging, biochemical analyses, and sound propagation models using the Finite Element Method (FEM). We discovered a large, well-formed fat body extending from the blubber region to the ears and contacting the ossicles. The basic morphology and biochemical composition of the minke whale ear fats were very different from those of odontocete acoustic fats. However, the two tissues shared some subtle characteristics. FE models showed that the presence of the ear fats help to focus sound by the ears, which could be attributed to the low sound speed of the tissue. Sound bends towards regions of minimum sound speed, and fats are known to have lower sound speeds than other soft tissues. In an aquatic habitat where the air-filled ear canal is no longer effective, we propose that both odontocete and mysticete cetaceans have incorporated fatty tissues into their auditory systems for underwater sound reception. The original document contains color images. Text Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whales minke whale toothed whales Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
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Open Polar |
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Defense Technical Information Center: DTIC Technical Reports database |
op_collection_id |
ftdtic |
language |
English |
topic |
Biochemistry Biology Anatomy and Physiology *CETACEA *FATS *HEARING ACOUSTIC VELOCITY AUDITORY PERCEPTION EAR FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS HEAD(ANATOMY) LIPIDS MORPHOLOGY(BIOLOGY) SOUND TRANSMISSION THESES TISSUES(BIOLOGY) UNDERWATER ODONTOCETES ACOUSTIC FATS SOUND RECEPTION MYSTICETES EAR FATS MINKE WHALES BALEEN WHALES |
spellingShingle |
Biochemistry Biology Anatomy and Physiology *CETACEA *FATS *HEARING ACOUSTIC VELOCITY AUDITORY PERCEPTION EAR FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS HEAD(ANATOMY) LIPIDS MORPHOLOGY(BIOLOGY) SOUND TRANSMISSION THESES TISSUES(BIOLOGY) UNDERWATER ODONTOCETES ACOUSTIC FATS SOUND RECEPTION MYSTICETES EAR FATS MINKE WHALES BALEEN WHALES Yamato, Maya The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
topic_facet |
Biochemistry Biology Anatomy and Physiology *CETACEA *FATS *HEARING ACOUSTIC VELOCITY AUDITORY PERCEPTION EAR FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS HEAD(ANATOMY) LIPIDS MORPHOLOGY(BIOLOGY) SOUND TRANSMISSION THESES TISSUES(BIOLOGY) UNDERWATER ODONTOCETES ACOUSTIC FATS SOUND RECEPTION MYSTICETES EAR FATS MINKE WHALES BALEEN WHALES |
description |
Cetaceans possess highly derived auditory systems adapted for underwater hearing. Odontocetes, or toothed whales, are thought to use specialized acoustic fats for sound reception. However, sound reception pathways in baleen whales, or mysticetes, are unknown. We investigated the auditory system of the minke whale (small mysticete species) through dissections, biomedical imaging, biochemical analyses, and sound propagation models using the Finite Element Method (FEM). We discovered a large, well-formed fat body extending from the blubber region to the ears and contacting the ossicles. The basic morphology and biochemical composition of the minke whale ear fats were very different from those of odontocete acoustic fats. However, the two tissues shared some subtle characteristics. FE models showed that the presence of the ear fats help to focus sound by the ears, which could be attributed to the low sound speed of the tissue. Sound bends towards regions of minimum sound speed, and fats are known to have lower sound speeds than other soft tissues. In an aquatic habitat where the air-filled ear canal is no longer effective, we propose that both odontocete and mysticete cetaceans have incorporated fatty tissues into their auditory systems for underwater sound reception. The original document contains color images. |
author2 |
MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE JOINT PROGRAM IN APPLIED OCEAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING |
format |
Text |
author |
Yamato, Maya |
author_facet |
Yamato, Maya |
author_sort |
Yamato, Maya |
title |
The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
title_short |
The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
title_full |
The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
title_fullStr |
The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Auditory System of the Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata): A Potential Fatty Sound Reception Pathway in a Mysticete Cetacean |
title_sort |
auditory system of the minke whale (balaenoptera acutorostrata): a potential fatty sound reception pathway in a mysticete cetacean |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA570376 http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA570376 |
genre |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whales minke whale toothed whales |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whales minke whale toothed whales |
op_source |
DTIC |
op_relation |
http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA570376 |
op_rights |
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. |
_version_ |
1766366490735411200 |