Animations of vibration modes obtained from finite element simulations performed on the skull of a juvenile gray whale (Q6699264)

The tympanoperiotic complex (TPC) plays a crucial role in whale hearing. It is a functional unit composed of three bony structures: the periotic (firmly embedded in the skull), the tympanic bulla (suspended from the skull on flexible suspensory pedicles), and the ossicular chain that connects the stapes footplate closing the oval window in the periotic with the tympanic [Mead 2009]. Hearing of mysticetes is ostensibly facilitated by the same mechanism as in most mammals: the ossicular chain is set in motion, and the stapes footplate consequently pushes on the cochlear fluid [Cranford 2018]. The ossicular chain connects the periotic bone, which houses the inner ear, with the bulla. Therefore, the most plausible mechanism for setting the ossicles in motion is a vibration of the bulla relative to the periotic bone. A juvenile gray whale head (LACM 97758) was acquired from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The specimen had been collected and transferred to a freezer soon after death, thereby preserving its fresh condition. The specimen underwent X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning in two phases, first intact with all tissues and subsequently after removal of soft tissues superficial to the skull, as described by Cranford [in preparation].