All Ears

Some are small and round. Some are tall and floppy. Some are covered with fur or feathers—and some are positioned in places you would never expect! Animals have all different kinds of ears to help them sense the world around them. Hearing can help an animal stay aware of approaching predators or skillfully stalk its prey. 

Many animals have special adaptations to help them tune in to the sounds that are most important to them. And some animals use their ears for more than just hearing. Read on to meet five creatures with some of the world’s most incredible ears.

Some are small and round. Some are tall and floppy. Some are covered with fur or feathers. And some are in places you’d never expect! Animals have all kinds of ears. They help them sense the world around them. Hearing can alert an animal to nearby predators. Or it can help it stalk prey.

Many animals have special adaptations. They help them tune into important sounds. And some animals use their ears for more than just hearing. Read on to meet five creatures. They have some of the world’s most amazing ears.

Katydids are small, nocturnal insects. They rely on their hearing to detect bats and other predators in the dark. But katydids don’t have ears on their heads. They listen through tiny eardrums on their front legs!

Why are their ears on their legs? It has to do with a katydid’s size, says insect scientist Fernando Montealegre-Z. When we hear a noise, sound waves reach one ear slightly sooner than the other. Our brains use this difference to determine where the sound is coming from. 

But if katydids had ears on their heads, the ears would be too close together to do this. Ears on their legs are just far enough apart for the insect to tell where a predator is coming from. Other insects have ears on their wings or antennae for the same reason.

Katydids are small insects. They’re nocturnal. They are only active at night. The bugs rely on their hearing in the dark. It allows them to detect bats and other predators. But katydids don’t have ears on their heads. They listen through tiny eardrums on their front legs!

Why are their ears on their legs? It has to do with a katydid’s size, says Fernando Montealegre-Z. He’s an insect scientist. Sound waves from a noise reach one ear first then the other. Our brains sense this difference. It helps us detect where the sound is coming from. 

But that wouldn’t work for katydids. Ears on their head would be too close together. But ears on their legs are just far enough apart. That allows the insect to tell where a predator is. Other insects have ears on their wings or antennae. It’s for the same reason.

A caracal (KEHR-uh-kuhl) is a wildcat about three times the size of a house cat that lives in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. This expert hunter can leap up to 3 meters (10 feet) in the air to catch a bird in flight! A caracal uses its keen vision and sharp sense of smell to track prey. It also uses its most striking feature: big, pointy ears topped with fluffy, black tufts. 

Like other cat species, caracals have more than 20 muscles to control their ears, allowing the animals to swivel each ear independently from the other. This helps a caracal home in on its prey. 

Scientists aren’t sure exactly what caracals’ ear tufts are for. Some think the long hairs help direct sound waves into the ear. Twitching the tufts at each other may also help caracals communicate, says Laurel Serieys, a biologist who works with the cats.

A caracal (KEHR-uh-kuhl) is a wildcat. It’s about three times the size of a house cat. Caracals live in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. They’re expert hunters. They can leap up to 3 meters (10 feet) in the air. They can catch birds in flight! Caracals have keen vision and a sharp sense of smell. They use them to track prey. They also use another feature. It’s their big, pointy ears topped with fluffy, black tufts. 

Caracals have more than 20 muscles to control their ears. That allows the animals to turn each on its own. This helps a caracal home in on its prey. 

Scientists aren’t sure what caracals’ ear tufts are for. Some think the long hairs help direct sound waves into the ear. Caracals may twitch their tufts at each other. It may help them communicate, says Laurel Serieys. She’s a biologist. She works with the cats.

It can be hard for animals to see in murky waters. Dolphins, like this bottlenose dolphin, can’t depend on vision when they swim around and hunt for food. But sound waves travel well in water—and dolphins use that to their advantage. 

A dolphin’s ears can sense the size, shape, and distance of the objects around it, using an ability called echolocation. To scan its surroundings, a dolphin first makes loud clicking sounds. The sound waves bounce off rocks, sand, and prey animals and return to the dolphin’s ears. The shape of a dolphin’s jaw helps guide the vibrations to the inner ear. The dolphin’s brain then determines what each object is and about how far away it is.

According to marine biologist Aran Mooney, dolphins can use their ears to tell two types of fish apart from 100 meters (330 feet) away!

Dolphins, like this bottlenose, hunt for food as they swim. It can be hard for these animals to see in murky waters. They can’t rely on vision. But sound waves travel well in water. And dolphins use that to their advantage. 

A dolphin relies on echolocation. This ability allows it to scan its surroundings. A dolphin first makes loud clicking sounds. The sound waves hit rocks, sand, and prey animals. Then the sound waves bounce back to the dolphin’s ears. A dolphin’s jaw has a special shape. It helps guide the vibrations to the inner ear. The dolphin’s brain uses them to figure out what the object is. It senses the object’s size, shape, and even distance.

Dolphins can use their ears to tell two types of fish apart. They can do this from 100 meters (330 feet) away! That’s according to Aran Mooney. He’s a marine biologist.

Owls are some of the forest’s fiercest predators. These nocturnal birds hunt for rodents, lizards, snakes, and smaller birds—all in the dark. Owls have excellent night vision, but their prey is often hidden under leaves or in burrows. The birds’ sensitive ears help them hear the quietest scurrying sound. 

The feathery tufts on some owls’ heads may look like ears. Scientists have ideas about what the tufts are for, but they’re not related to hearing. An owl’s ears are covered by feathers around the owl’s eyes. Arranged in two big discs, like satellite dishes, they funnel sound waves to the ear openings. 

Some species have one ear higher on their head than the other. The distance between the ears helps the owl pinpoint its prey’s location before swooping in to strike.

Owls are some of the forest’s best predators. These birds are nocturnal. They hunt in the dark. They look for rodents, lizards, snakes, and smaller birds. Owls have great night vision. But their prey is often hidden under leaves or in burrows. The birds’ also have sensitive ears. They help them hear the quietest scurrying sound. 

Some owls’ heads have feathery tufts. They may look like ears. Scientists have ideas about what the tufts are for. But they’re not for hearing. Feathers surround an owls’ eyes. They’re arranged in two big discs. They look like satellite dishes. They funnel sound waves to ear openings on either side of the owl’s face. 

Some owl species have one ear higher than the other. The distance between the ears helps the owl pinpoint its prey’s location. They they swoop in to strike.