No animal should be underestimated. Nature has blessed them with special abilities to survive. But sometimes some of his skills become very special. A new research has revealed something unique about lizards. Researchers at the University of Maryland have found that lizards use a system involving balance to detect vibrations. It provides new information about how animals perceive auditory and tactile stimuli.
Had no idea about this before
Biologists at the University of Maryland have discovered a talent in lizards that was not previously known and which shakes up what we know about animals’ ability to hear. In a new study published in Current Biology on October 4, 2024, researchers revealed that lizards use saccules to detect low-frequency vibrations.
How special is a saccule?
The saccule is a part of the inner ear of lizards. It is traditionally associated with maintaining balance and body position. According to the researchers, this special “sixth sense” also plays a role in the lizards’ normal hearing and the way they sense the world around them.
Scientists say that the special ability found in gecko lizard should be present in other lizards and other animals also. (Symbolic photo: Canva)
We continue to understand animals less.
The team believes this previously unknown hearing ability may also be present in other reptile species, challenging existing ideas about how animals’ sensory systems evolved and diverged over time. It is clear that scientists believe that till now we have been underestimating animals.
Saquel’s new role at Gecko
“As we know, the ear hears airborne sounds,” said study co-author Katherine Carr, a distinguished university professor of biology at UMD. This ancient inner path is usually associated with balance. “It also helps the gecko detect vibrations traveling through mediums such as land or water.”
The results of the study make it clear that we underestimated lizards and snakes in particular. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)
History of hearing ability
“This pathway is present in amphibians and fish, and now it has been shown to be conserved in lizards as well,” he said. Our results reveal how the hearing system evolved. “What you see in fish is seen in land animals, including humans.” The saccule can detect light vibrations between 50 and 200 hertz, which is much lower than what the gecko can hear with its own ears.
Gecko has more abilities
The researchers say this shows that the saccule serves a separate but additive function to the gecko’s regular auditory system. Geckos can hear airborne sounds, whereas many other reptiles do not have this ability. Dawei Han, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher and former graduate student at UMD, says the discovery of the saccule’s role in the gecko’s hearing ability could lead to a better understanding of communication and behavior in other animals that have previously been known to have limited hearing ability. was considered.
Biology’s Dawei Han and Catherine Carr discovered an auditory “sixth sense” in geckos that could have implications for human hearing and balance disorders.
Using a part of the brain usually associated with balance, geckos can detect faint vibrations. https://t.co/UdyZAqx5rb pic.twitter.com/CzGORwNJBI
— UMD Science (@UMDscience) October 4, 2024