Role of the Fish Ear in Sound Processing

Abstract

Despite the considerable interest in fish hearing in recent years (see Schuijf and Hawkins 1976; Tavolga, Popper, and Fay 1981), the contributions of the fish ear or brain to hearing and sound processing remain relatively unknown. Our knowledge about the fish ear is more limited as compared to our knowledge of the ears of amphibians, reptiles, birds, or mammals. Extensive studies of representatives of these classes have demonstrated that their inner ears are involved in the analysis of sounds, rather than simply as a system for transduction of mechanical to electrical energy.