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Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
Published on: January 4, 2017
Functional Morphology and Symmetry in the Odontocete Ear Complex
William Ary1, Ted W Cranford2, Annalisa Berta3
1Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 2674 Russmar Drive, San Diego, CA, 92123-3422, USA. williamjamesary@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Odontocete ear complexes or tympanoperiotic complexes (TPCs) were compared for asymmetry. Left and right TPCs were collected from one long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) and one Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis). Asymmetry was assessed by volumetric comparisons of left and right TPCs and by visual comparison of superimposed models of the right TPC to a reflected mirror image of the left TPC. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were performed to compare the resonant frequencies of the TPCs as calculated by vibrational analysis. All analyses found slight differences between TPCs from the same specimen in contrast to the directional asymmetry in the nasal region of odontocete skulls.
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