How do frogs hear?

looney_tunes

Frogs do not have visible external ears, but they do have areas that are equivalent to the human eardrum, and turn impinging sound vibrations into nerve vibrations that can be processed by their brain. "Frogs have a tympanum on each side of the head, which is involved in hearing and, in some species, is covered by skin." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frog Oct 13 08, 11:46 PM

foosyerdoos

The ear structures function much as ours. The eardrum of most frogs is a membrane surrounded by a cartilage ring. Sound waves vibrate the eardrum, which wiggles a rod connected to the eardrum, which sloshes fluid in the inner ear, which waves hairs in hair cells. The hair cells contact nerve fibers, which generate electrical pulses. Nerve fibers carry the signals to the brain, which interprets the nerve signals as sound. The frogs ears are also connected directly to its lungs, this is thought to be so they can pressurised when it is calling out so it can avoid deafening itself. http://www.wonderquest.com/FrogHearing.htm Researchers have discovered that a frog that lives near noisy springs in central China can tune its ears to different sound frequencies, much like the tuner on a radio can shift from one frequency to another. It is the only known example of an animal that can actively select what frequencies it hears, the researchers say. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080722091652.htm Oct 14 08, 12:07 AM