The Primate Peripheral Auditory System and the Evolution of Primate Hearing

Abstract

The primate peripheral auditory organ closely resembles that of other terrestrial mammals. Acoustic communication has an important role in primate communities, and hearing characteristics are well-known for several species. In this chapter, morphological variation of the primate outer, middle, and inner ears is reviewed and is related to auditory data known from experimental work. Differences can be discerned among various primate groups, the greatest differences being between small, mainly nocturnal strepsirrhines and larger, mainly diurnal haplorhines. The evolutionary history of primate hearing is discussed in relation to different hypotheses of primate origins with the view that, as in the earliest mammals, the earliest primates were nocturnal and had good high-frequency hearing. Increased sensitivity to lower frequencies evolved later, although relatively early in the history of primates. This was made possible by an elongation of the cochlea and the disappearance of the secondary spiral lamina. The body size and ecology of primates is related to their ear size, and the role of hearing together with other sensory modalities, mainly vision and olfaction, is discussed.