Bony labyrinths of the Blackfish (Delphinidae: Globicephalinae)

Bony labyrinth morphology varies across marine mammals and contains key information regarding hearing sensitivity and ecology. The hearing ranges of globicephaline (Delphinidae: Globicephalinae) or melon-headed dolphins, known as Blackfish, have been extensively studied using acoustic technologies, but clade-wide morphological analysis of the bony labyrinth is lacking. In this study, we investigate the variation in hearing-relevant bony labyrinth morphology within globicephalines using mu CT scans of isolated petrosals and digitally isolating the bony labyrinth of all species. Principal components analysis (PCA) of nine hearing-relevant measurements of the cochlea alongside a broader sampling of terrestrial and aquatic artiodactyls shows Orcaella brevirostris and other globicephalines with higher levels of facial asymmetry and potentially more specialized echolocation abilities plotting near Monodon monoceros, Delphinapterus leucas, and Orcinus orca. The remaining globicephalines, which have more symmetrical skulls and other unique and acoustically relevant attributes, plotted towards the middle of the echolocating odontocete portion of the PCA. Our analysis thus reveals that inner ear morphology may correlate with both facial skull morphology and echolocation specializations, as these are intertwined. Furthermore, this study illustrates how morphological analyses, especially those centered on hearing, may provide critical conservation-relevant information as direct access to audiograms becomes less tenable.

Automated summary

This study investigates the variation in bony labyrinth morphology within globicephalines, finding a correlation between inner ear morphology, facial skull morphology, and echolocation abilities. Different types of dolphins show differences in bony labyrinth morphology, which has important implications for conservation and research.