hear_kitty
06-22-2006, 09:21 AM
Don't now if you guys have read this or not. Catfish detect sound and vibration using two different organ:the ear and the lateral line.
The catfish's ears are located on either side of the head, although there are no openings to pinpoint their location. In water, sound waves are transmitted through the fish's flesh, so external openings areunnecessary.
Like many other animals,catfish detect sounds through their otoliths ( ear bones), which vibrate when a sound wave passes through the fish. But catfish have an additionl sound-detection mechanismthat improves their sense of hearing. When a sound wave passes through the fish and strikes the gas-filled swim bladder and transfers to the inner ear through a chain of vertebral bones called the Weberian Apparatus. Intimately tied to the catfish's sense of hearing is the lateral line, a sensory system that detects minute water displacements around the fish. The lateral line is a series of tiny canals with lots of nerve endings that run along the sides of the fish at roughly the midline.
The lateral line detects low frequency sounds or vibrations that cannot be detected by the fish's ear. Creatures swimming through the water, scuttling across the bottom, plopping onto the surface or stomping along the riverbank...all create low-frequency vibrations in the water that the lateral line picks up. catfish use this system to locate prey, identify potential enemies and make it easier for schools to swim in unison.
The catfish's ears are located on either side of the head, although there are no openings to pinpoint their location. In water, sound waves are transmitted through the fish's flesh, so external openings areunnecessary.
Like many other animals,catfish detect sounds through their otoliths ( ear bones), which vibrate when a sound wave passes through the fish. But catfish have an additionl sound-detection mechanismthat improves their sense of hearing. When a sound wave passes through the fish and strikes the gas-filled swim bladder and transfers to the inner ear through a chain of vertebral bones called the Weberian Apparatus. Intimately tied to the catfish's sense of hearing is the lateral line, a sensory system that detects minute water displacements around the fish. The lateral line is a series of tiny canals with lots of nerve endings that run along the sides of the fish at roughly the midline.
The lateral line detects low frequency sounds or vibrations that cannot be detected by the fish's ear. Creatures swimming through the water, scuttling across the bottom, plopping onto the surface or stomping along the riverbank...all create low-frequency vibrations in the water that the lateral line picks up. catfish use this system to locate prey, identify potential enemies and make it easier for schools to swim in unison.