Mechanisms of Vibration Detection in Mammals

Abstract

Ground-borne vibrations are known to be used for a range of different purposes among mammals, but the sensory mechanisms used in their detection often remain unclear. Potential somatosensory receptors for low-frequency seismic cues include Pacinian and Meissner's corpuscles, while some species such as golden moles are believed to be adapted towards bone-conducted hearing. This chapter outlines the basic physiology underlying vibratory detection by these various means, and considers species in which particular mechanisms are likely to be prominent. Both the somatosensory and the auditory systems have been implicated in the vibratory sensitivity of elephants and spalacid mole rats, which are examined in detail as case studies. It may prove to be the case that interactions between these two modalities at a central level render any clear distinction impossible.