Keeping an “Ear” to the Ground: Seismic Communication in Elephants

O’Connell‐Rodwell, Caitlin E.

doi:10.1152/physiol.00008.2007

Cited by 128 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Moreover, it has been demonstrated that macroscelids (at least, some species of Elephantulus) use foot-drumming for communication and defence (Faurie et al 1996). Foot-drumming is a common practice among mammals displaying low frequency hearing capacities, such as proboscideans (O'Connell-Rodwell 2007), lagomorphs, kangaroo-rats and gerbils (Randall 2001), because it produces low frequency seismic sound waves that cannot be heard by other mammals (Randall 2001). Finally, in modern macroscelids, the stapedial artery is partly or fully enclosed in a bony tube and in some genera, such as Rhynchocyon and Macroscelides, the carotid artery is enclosed in a bony tube, too.…”

Section: Implications On the Evolution Of The Ear And Hearing In Macrmentioning

confidence: 99%

The petrosal of the earliest elephant-shrewChambius(Macroscelidea: Afrotheria) from the Eocene of Djebel Chambi (Tunisia) and the evolution of middle and inner ear of elephant-shrews

Benoît¹,

Orliac²,

Tabuce³

2013

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

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Macroscelidea (elephant-shrews or sengis) are small insectivorous mammals restricted to Africa; they belong to the supercohort Afrotheria along with other insectivorans (aardvarks, tenrecs and golden moles) and ungulates (elephants, sea cows and hyraxes). Though their fossil record extends back to the Eocene, cranial remains of Palaeogene elephant-shrews, including the middle and inner ear structure, remain unknown. Two macroscelid isolated petrosal bones are described from the late Early-early Middle Eocene Djebel Chambi locality in Tunisia. Chambius kasserinensis is the only macroscelid represented in this locality. A cladistic analysis based on petrosal and inner ear characters highlights the crucial interest of the petrosal and inner ear morphology for understanding the evolution of Macroscelididae. It confirms the attribution of these isolated petrosals to C. kasserinensis. This hypothesis is supported by a common pattern of circulatory system, the morphology of the rostral and caudal tympanic processes, and the shape of the cochlea. In addition, Chambius appears to be the basal-most taxon among the macroscelid sample; this position is supported by the lack of some specializations of the middle ear such as inflated ossicular bones and pneumatized bulla. The presence of a secondary common crus in Chambius suggests a convergent loss of this structure, at least in Macroscelidea and Tenrecoidea. The petrosal and inner ear characters support the clade Afroinsectivora, which gathers macroscelids with other endemic African insectivorans (tenrecs and golden moles), reinforcing the hypothesis of an African origin of macroscelids. The petrosal bone and inner ear characters provide further morphological support for the debated clade (Petrodromus, Elephantulus rozeti, Macroscelides). New data underlines the fact that the cranial arterial pattern of the Eocene macroscelid Chambius was already similar to that of modern macroscelid species. It also suggests that early elephant-shrews were probably not as capable of hearing low frequencies as their extant representatives.

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Section: Implications On the Evolution Of The Ear And Hearing In Macrmentioning

confidence: 99%

The petrosal of the earliest elephant-shrewChambius(Macroscelidea: Afrotheria) from the Eocene of Djebel Chambi (Tunisia) and the evolution of middle and inner ear of elephant-shrews

Benoît¹,

Orliac²,

Tabuce³

2013

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Békésy described a second method used by roosters, and more recently shown to be used by elephants (O'Connell-Rodwell, 2007), to reduce inner ear input during calling. This involves closing off the external auditory meatus just prior to vocalizations.…”

Section: Amphibiansmentioning

confidence: 99%