While looking at the head of the beautiful penguin, you can easily see the beak, eyes and the tongue of this aquatic animal also if their mouth is open. But have you seen its ears? So, what you think that do penguins have ears?
People usually overlook the presence of the ears of any animal or bird while looking at them. But if they don’t have ears then, how can they hear anything?
Well! The Penguins do have ears which situated over both the sides of the head. However, they don’t have outside ear pads, but that does not act as an obstruction in their path of hearing. To know more about the penguins, their ears and the hearing ability read the below informative article.
So, let’s begin!
How Do the Ears of the Penguins Look?
The ears of the penguins are very simple holes that are covered by the feathers, and that is the reason you can’t see them easily with your eyes. The lack of exterior ear pads provides the penguins an extra streamline outline and reduces their struggle while doing the swimming inside the water.
Is It Possible for the Penguins to Hear Easily?
It is true that we can’t see the ears of the penguins with our eyes, but it does not mean that the penguins cannot hear all types of sounds. One of the fantastic things about the penguins is that they have a very exceptional power of hearing the sounds below and above the water.
Penguins can easily distinguish the specific penguin by their vocal sound. While coming back from hunting expeditions, the parent penguins might easily choose their mate as well as chicks quickly in the middle of hundreds or thousands of different penguins that are living in the island merely by hearing their voices.
The penguins do not possess the outer ears, but they do have a sharp sense of hearing that is not present in the other aquatic animals. They can quickly identify the extensive variety of vocalizations made by penguins for the communication.
How Are the Ears of the Penguins Useful to Them?
You should know that the penguins utilize the sounds for diverse purposes like socialization, breeding, and cautioning others about the dangers. The sounds made by them very much associated with their hearing abilities, and that’s why they recognize the purpose of the sounds immediately. All the structure except the pinnae is present in the penguins for hearing.
What Is the Structure of the Penguin’s Ear and How They Hear with It?
The penguin’s ear starts with the ear canal that connected towards the middle ear. While looking quite closely at the penguins, you can see an opening vent close to the eye that is a part of the ear canal. However, you cannot identify this opening vent quickly as it enclosed by distinct fluffs.
In the penguins, there is merely a separate hearing ossicle in the middle ear that is known as columella. The sound arrives from the central ear towards the cochlea inside the internal ear. In this part, the different occurrences of the voice evaluated, and after this evaluation, the info communicated towards the brain. This entire complete procedure, i.e., from the entrance and communication to the examination of the sound known as “hearing” that helps the penguins in identifying the sounds quickly.
What Are the Audible Frequencies of the Penguin’s Ears?
According to recent research, the Penguins can easily hear the sounds whose frequency ranges between 100 Hertz and 15000 Hertz. The young human beings might listen to echoes with frequencies having the range of 16 Hertz to 20000 Hertz.
Is It Important for the Penguins to Have the Ears or Not?
Yes, ears play a critical role in the living and survival of the penguins. While feeding the food to the chicks, the Penguins made some sound for informing them about the food. The noise made by the parent penguin helps the chicks in knowing that their parent needs them. Similarly, by hearing the sound made by the chick, the parents come to know that their chick is in some danger or not.
The lower frequencies sound easily transmitted than the higher frequencies sounds. The lower frequencies sounds might even observe in a more considerable distance in a loud background. It works as a benefit since the penguins stay in big groups with lots of loudness.
Conclusion:
So, now if somebody asks you that do penguins have ears, you know the right answer to it that “YES” penguins do have ears like the humans. It is right that while looking at the penguins for the first time, you cannot see their ears as they are hiding behind the feathers.
Ears for the penguins are an essential body part that helps them in their survival. It also benefits them in communicating with their partners and the baby penguins. If any of the penguins sensed about any danger then, it can easily communicate with the other penguins with the different sounds that can be easily heard by them.
Is there any information that we missed out related to the above topic then, do let us know. We will provide you with adequate info about it. Please don’t forget to share this article with your all dear and near ones.
References
https://phys.org/news/2016-07-king-penguins-ear-predators.html
https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/seabirds/penguins
https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/penguin/senses
https://prezi.com/2pifs2wimfed/penguin-organs-and-functions/
Image source:
- penguin head view by Dori / CC BY
- penguin ears by pxhere / CC BY