The Ear in Subterranean Rodents Revisited: Cochlear Hair-Cell Populations in African Mole-Rats (Bathyergidae).

ABSTRACT: Based on von Békésy's premise that "The physical laws served as guidelines for the evolution of the structures and functions of the middle and inner ear," we aimed to understand how the unique subterranean acoustic environment, which promotes the propagation of low-frequency sounds and thereby selects for enhanced low-frequency hearing, influences functional adaptations reflected in the morphological convergence of the cochlea in subterranean African mole-rats (Bathyergidae). We conducted a morphometric analysis of the cochlea in 12 species representing all six genera of African mole-rats, spanning a body mass range of 30-2000 g. Cochlear partitions were examined using light microscopy following the standard surface specimen technique. The mole-rat cochleae has 3-4.3 coils. The length of t

SUBMITTER: Svacinova L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12710458 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature