When animals were discovered to possess a "sixth sense," certain evolutionary theories were altered.

Naturalists believed they had worked out how reptiles hear two centuries ago. They said that creatures like snakes and lizards primarily used their senses of smell and sight, with their inner ears managing balance and other functions.

That lovely photo just received a literal shake-up. According to recent studies, a gecko's balancing organ also serves as a sensitive microphone for vibrations coming from the ground, providing the animal with an additional sense that it can use covertly.

This finding is important as it rewrites some of the auditory history of evolution. It indicates that when vertebrates raw on land, the old vibrational pathways never disappeared. It slid under the scientific radar.

The Tokay Gecko

The new research is famous for the Tokay Gecko, famous for its large bark. A bag filled with liquid, Sakuru, is located deep inside the skull and has been marked as a balance sensor for a long time.

Researchers gently recorded neural signals while considering this low-frequency shaking of depths between 50 and 200 Hz. The jacket shines. These frequencies are far below the Gecko Drum, indicating that the animal is manipulating two parallel sound channels.

"Ears, as we know, listen in the air. However, this old inner path, usually connected to balance, helps to recognize gecko for research through media such as soil and water. A colleague published their results in Current Biology under the title "Audiation Pathways for the Recognition of Tokai Gekko," a postdoctoral management team that first investigated ideas during graduation.

Some animals recognize vibrations, so

Electrical traces are just telling part of the story. The team also mapped Gecko Brain and found a relay station called Vestibularis ovalis Nucleus ovalis. This bag receives only entries from Sacule and forwards the information to a higher audit center. It behaves like a dedicated vibrational street separated from the normal hearing street bed.

Similar brain species appeared in the old Suphenodons of snakes and New Zealand reptiles, exhibiting co-evolution through reptile tribes. "Many snakes and lizards were supposed to be 'silent' or 'deaf' in the sense that they were not heard or heard," Han said.

"However, we see that this sensory pathway may be able to communicate via vibrational signals. Desert sand diving snakes, skinks, and even turtle turnip animals hitting their nests can move all information by shaking their surroundings rather than screaming through the air.

Development of this new cat. Gecko's work shows that the early quadruped vibrations on land and fastened next to the drum. For millions of years, some lines chose it, other lines - like Tokai - were recorded. This persistence reminds biologists that evolution often exploits old tools rather than rejecting them.

"Think about when you're at a live rock concert. It's so loud you can feel how your head and whole body vibrate in the sound field. You can feel the music rather than hearing it," Karr continued. Tokay Gecko. Credit: Duncan Raich

Biologists at the University of Maryland have discovered that they use the sacculus, part of the gecko's inner ear, to recognize vibrations in frequency and provide a new understanding of reptile hearing. This discovery extends to other reptiles and can change the way scientists consider animal communication and perception. It also shows the possible connection between human listening and balance. Tokay Gecko. Click on Bild to enlarge. Credit: Duncan Leitch

"This feeling suggests that these loud concerts can stimulate the human vestibular system. Your perspective: If the noise is strong enough and the boundaries between emotions and listening are blurred, our balance can be compromised.

Why is this the problem?

"The effects of this study extend beyond the world of reptiles," Han said. "We discover these hidden mechanisms, but we acquire richer, more differentiated pictures of how animals perceive and interact with them, and perhaps new insights into our own sensory experiences." If the vestibular system works with the Cochlea in extreme amounts, it can affect the treatment of balance disorders or tinnitus.

Engineers developing

Seismic sensors or underwater microphones can also borrow tricks from the elegant hair cells on their jackets.

The wonders of nature never cease.

It is now known that geckos that cling to cave walls can detect the little tremor of approaching footfall. The scurry of prey is probably felt by snakes moving through leaf litter. And people may activate an old inner circuit that we hardly ever recognise when they rock out in crowded arenas.

The new study contributes to a broader discussion about vertebrates' use of both bones and ears to monitor their environment. Scientists are discovering a sensory mosaic that spans hundreds of millions of years by listening to the silent language of vibrations.