Sense of Hearing: Mechanoreception
Sense of Hearing: Mechanoreception
This chapter discusses how sharks, rays, and chimaeras are able to locate their prey and avoid predators from large distances. This sense is called mechanoreception because mechanical disturbances of the water are detected by two organ systems. The free neuromasts, canal neuromasts, and vessels of Savi on the external body are sensitive to one-way displacements of particles of water. The inner ear is sensitive not only to these displacements but also to two-way displacements of water particles associated with pressure oscillations. The former receptors are active in the near field, where the one-way oscillations exceed the two-way oscillations; the latter receptor is active in both the near and far field, where the two-way oscillations are dominant. The boundary between these fields for a very low frequency of 10 Hz is 150 m while for 100 Hz it is only 15 m.
Keywords: sharks, rays, chimaeras, low-frequency sounds, mechanoreceptors, pressure oscillation, inner ear, neuromasts, Savi
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