When it comes to hearing or auditory perception there is no other organ suited to the task than the ear. But in auditory science, the ability of hearing involves sounds and it varies in animals as well as via hearing mechanism.
For instance, all sounds are not audible to every animal in the same way. Animal species have varying range of normal hearing based on amplitude and frequency. For species of animals for which sound is a basic means of communication, their hearing is most acute for pitch ranges which are produced during calls and speeches.
Cheetahs have an amazing auditory and sensory ability
The Cheetah animal of the cat family is considered the fastest terrestrial animal in the world. This has been proven over time, because the Cheetah is not just a quick sprinter but it possesses an extraordinary ability that has astounded scientists for some time now. That ability hinges on the animal’s ability to hold an incredibly still gaze while chasing down a prey.
Researchers from the American Museum of Natural History took time recently to study the extraordinary sensory abilities of the Cheetah by investigating the inner ear of the quick-footed animal.
The study shows that the modern cheetah's (cheetahs of around 126,000 years ago till date) have developed inner ears that are unique and must have relatively evolved recently.
Until recently, no one has studied the role of the inner ear in the Cheetah’s incredible hunting and sensory abilities. According to lead author of the study Camille Grohé, watching a Cheetah run in a slow motion capture, you’d notice its amazing movement – its back, its legs, its muscles all move with coordinated power. However, its head hardly moves. Camille Grohé believes that the inner ear aids the animal’s remarkable ability to maintain postural and visual stability while hunting preys at speeds reaching 65 miles per hour.
Studying the inner ear dimensions and shape of cheetahs
The scientist were able to carry out their study of the Cheetah’s unique auditory abilities by using a high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) to scan 21 skulls of felid specimens, seven modern Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), and a related extinct Giant Cheetah (Acinonyx pardinensis) which existed between 2.6 million years ago in the Pleistocene and 126,000 years ago. Data from the scan enabled the researchers create a 3-D detailed image of the inner ear dimensions and shape of the species.
Uniqueness of the cheetah’s ear
It is known that cats have the ability to hear high-frequency sounds that are up to two octaves higher than a human can hear.
The cheetah’s inner ear possesses a greater volume of vestibular system and longer anterior and posterior semicircular canals.
Coauthor of the study John Flynn, said;
“This distinctive inner ear anatomy reflects enhanced sensitivity and more rapid responses to head motions, explaining the cheetah’s extraordinary ability to maintain visual stability and to keep their gaze locked in on prey even during incredibly high-speed hunting.”
Conlcusion
The recent study shows that the enhanced traits present in the modern cheetahs were not in the extinct giant cheetahs (Acinonyx pardinensis). This buttresses the fact that there is a notable recent evolution in the inner ear of the modern cheetah.
The use of advanced tech equipment to observe and study the inside of modern and extinct cat skulls has helped reveal that the locomotor and sensory system adaptations to high speed predation in the cheetah lineage experienced a decoupling with time.
Also, it is suggested that competition with other larger predators has caused the cheetah to evolve a faster strategy of high-speed hunting. An evolution of slender bones of the ancestors of the present day cheetah allows cheetah’s run faster and their ultra-sensitive inner ear adapted to head movements enables them hold their head hold still, which enables them run even faster.
Reference: [1], [2], [3], [4, [5], [6]
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