The Biology Refugia

A group blog highlighting ecology, evolution and biodiversity, and other aspects of biology.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Moose antlers help hearing

The big antler racks of moose may help males amplify sounds to better locate females:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/mar/21/medicalresearch.animalbehaviour

Researchers used a set of Alaskan moose antlers, and placed a prop ear and a microphone between them, and measured the sound reaching the microphone with and without the antlers. With the antlers, head-on sound was amplified by 19%, but when the antlers were turned away from the sound, it was decreased by 21%, suggesting that they help in direction finding, just like how our external ears (auricles) are directed towards our front.

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