Generally turtles are absolutely not deaf! In fact, this could not be further from the truth! Turtles have an external eardrum known as a tympanum. This tympanum allows them to hear high frequency airborne sounds. Their tympanum is not homologous with the tympanum of mammals because it is developed independently in all three groups. The tympanum of turtles is supported by a deep quadrate emargination, and the stapes of turtles is slender in order for it to be able to vibrate quickly to transmit sounds from the tympanum to the middle ear.
A turtle’s ears can be seen as small ear holes located on the sides of their heads. In the past, and sometimes still today, people have assumed that turtles were or are deaf. This presumption may have most likely arisen from the fact that turtle’s ears are not a highly visible thing and they do not physically stick out from the sides of their heads, as is the case with most animals.
However, even though these creatures do not have visible external ears, they can still hear. They may not hear as acutely as humans; however they do still have the necessary auditory nerve and corresponding brain center that is required for them to feel and decipher surrounding vibrations. Sound waves are gathered via these small external holes found on the sides of the turtle’s head. Once they reach the middle ear (as described above and mentioned earlier), these middle ears help them to increase the volume of the sound waves.
The anatomical makeup of turtles is quite interesting. The reason that their ears are said to be located inside of their heads is so that they are more aero-dynamic whenever they are in the water. As a result, this allows them to detect sounds and vibrations in their surroundings. The way a turtle responds to a sound can often be based on the way they sense the vibrations surrounding them.
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