Semicircular canal morphology in Rodentia and its relationship to locomotion.

ABSTRACT: Anatomical structures vary among mammals with different locomotor behaviours, including sensory structures such as the semicircular canals (SCCs) in the inner ear. Recent SCC research has examined various mammalian groups, but there has been a lack of research on rodents, the most speciose and diverse mammalian order. In this study, an extant sample of 98 rodent SCCs from 56 species across seven different locomotor behaviour categories (arboreal, fossorial, gliding, ricochetal, semiaquatic, semifossorial, terrestrial) was used to understand the correlations between SCC morphology and locomotion in rodents. Morphological correlates considered include the radius of curvature (R), overall 3-dimensional shape, and angles between pairs of canals (orthogonality). Our results show that agile arbo

SUBMITTER: Hou L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12497556 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature