Specific hearing system of the whale

2002/05/09 Atxotegi Alegria, Uhaina - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Biologia
• Eboluzioa
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

According to the scientists, the ancestors of the whales were terrestrial: they only approached to feed themselves to the sea and flee from predatory animals. The whales gradually lost their limbs and learned to live by the ocean. But, how did they get used to living and moving in that new environment?

For the journal Nature and for many researchers, the secret of the adaptation of whales to the marine environment lies in its peculiar intrauterine system. The whales, unlike ours, use a semicircular system of terrestrial mammals that gives them a certain balance. As soon as the ears of these animals penetrated the water, they developed very fast and varied. They learned to swim at full speed, without fear of water and speed. In addition, thanks to the special system of their auditory organ they did not, nor have they done it yet, they have never experienced dizziness problems.

Many scientists, even if it seems a lie, like the dolphin, have the modern whale as an acrobatic animal. Unlike a giant elephant, despite its weight, the whale has a great agility. An animal that claims to be of terrestrial origin can change course in the sea quickly, the movement of 180º can do it in a few seconds. It is a special auditory system that carries implicit this hobby.

The American paleontologist Rich Lane has concluded that the mechanism of some organs develops more in certain media than in others, taking as an example the study of the whales.