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Dolphins may use their teeth to hear underwater

The teeth of dolphins and other toothed whales are connected to a uniquely thick bundle of nerve fibres, which might play a role in sound detection

By Taylor Mitchell Brown

25 December 2024

Bottlenose dolphins have teeth unlike those of many other mammals

Jeff Mondragon/Alamy Stock Photo

A study of dolphin jaw anatomy suggests their teeth might act as antennae for sound waves, potentially helping to explain how they hear and use echolocation underwater.

“Our findings support the hypothesis that dolphins utilise their teeth as part of an advanced sound reception system,” says Ryo Kodera at Tsurumi University in Japan. “This finding provides insight into how dentition may be helpful for dolphins’ underwater life.”

Scientists have long known that dolphins and other…

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