Contact: Barbara K. Kennedy
science@psu.edu
814-863-4682
Penn State

Comparing Semicircular Canals and Cochleas

Caption: Primates with fast, agile locomotion have large semicircular canals. Here the computer reconstruction of the three semicircular canals and cochlea on the left is that of an active, leaping tarsier with a body mass of 123g. The reconstruction on the right is that of the extinct lemur Palaeopropithecus that has a body mass of 45,000g. This animal has been reconstructed to have behavior like that of a living sloth suspending itself from the trees and moving extremely slowly. The semicircular canals and cochlea of these animals are shown here corrected for their body size.

Credit: Alan Walker lab, Penn State

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