Mysterious Sensory Organ Found In Whale's Chin
A group of scientists discovered an organ that serves a crucial purpose and answers the longstanding mystery of how great whales, such as humpbacks and blues, drive their jaws so wide open and then snap them shut, while swimming at full speed.
How do great whales, such as humpbacks and blues, drive their jaws so wide open and then snap them shut, while swimming at full speed? A group of scientists discovered an organ that serves a crucial purpose and answers the longstanding mystery. "It’s a new sense organ, but it’s not a new sense," because most mammals have similar nerves, mechanoreceptors and proprioreceptors, says Dr. Joy Reidenberg, a specialist in comparative anatomy at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "It's that ability to detect, without even looking, whether your elbow is folded or your elbow is extended out. You can tell just by the stretch receptors inside the muscle. Or, if you take your lip and you pull it down, you can feel it stretch, too." Learn more.
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