Ms. Ears Questions and Answers

Questions about Miscellaneous Hearing Trivia from real people and answered by real audiologists

• Do insects have ears?
• Do fish or snakes have ears?
• Do you know any interesting stories about hearing?
• Where does the sound in a seashell come from?
• What causes you to hear your heartbeat in your ear?

QUESTION: Do insects have ears?

ANSWER: Many insects can hear sounds but they do not hear in the same way as you or I. Cicadas have their hearing organs in their stomachs. Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees.  Male mosquitoes hear with thousands of tiny hairs growing on their antennae.

QUESTION: Do fish or snakes have ears?

ANSWER: Fish do not have ears but they can hear. They hear pressure changes through ridges on their bodies. Snakes do not have ears, but their tongues are sensitive to sound vibrations.

QUESTION: Do you know any interesting stories about hearing?

ANSWER: Here is an interesting story.  In World War One (WWI) Parrots were kept on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France because of their remarkable sense of hearing. When the Parrots heard the enemy aircraft coming they would warn everyone of the approaching danger long before any human ear would hear it.

QUESTION: Where does the sound in a seashell come from?

ANSWER: Contrary to popular myth, the sound of waves in a seashell are not made by the echo of blood pulsing in the ear. In fact, what we are hearing is environmental noise that sounds different because it is reflected off of the interior of the seashell. This distorts the sound we hear, and depending on the size and shape of the shell, amplifies certain frequencies and muffles others. Take a look at Discovery Online's article The Skinny On...The Ocean in a Seashell by Hannah Holmes for an interesting explanation of this phenomenon.

QUESTION: What causes you to hear your heartbeat in your ear?

ANSWER: Our ears are very sensitive. The eardrum reacts to very small movements in the air, which we cannot feel on our skin but the ear picks up. Most people can hear their heartbeats when they go into a very quiet room. Because the ear is so sensitive, it is able to pick up the pulse from our bodies. If you hear a loud pulse all the time, you should go see your doctor. Sincerely, Ms. Ears.

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Here are some other great questions that real people have asked Ms. Ears.

• Hearing Aids
• Assistive Listening Devices (Ald's)
• Cochlear Implants
• General Hearing, Impairment and Protection
• Ringing / Buzzing in the Ear (Tinnitus)
• Ear Blockages, Ear Wax and Ear Infections (Middle Ear, Swimmers Ears, etc.)
• Hearing Tests (Audiograms, Tympanograms, etc.)
• Audiologists, Dispensers, Clinics, Doctors, ENT's and Specialists
• Parents, Childcare and Teachers
• Hearing Disorders

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