PSL280H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Toothed Whale, Middle Ear, Endolymph
Document Summary
Intensity is how loud it is, frequency is the vibrations/second. Cetaceans usually beach themselves trying to get away from the sound or they change their diving patterns. These animals can get infestations by worms that affect the middle ear, ad these animals that are infested die to starvation because they cant detect food. When they die, the external ear is filled with water, buttthe middle ear has air in it. The tympanic membrane vibrates when it receives sound, and this vibrates the 3 smalll bones which connect to the inner ear and in the middle ear the physical movement causes fluid movement of the endolymph. The hair cells interpret or perceive different frequencies in different areas. They cant tell the direction something is coming from or how close it is. The fat pad receives the vibrations and it communicates the vibrations onto the eardrum. The sound gets to the middle ear via the fat pad, not the external ear.
