Melon (cetacean)

The bisected head of a dolphin: The melon is just above the upper jaw.
Three-dimensional models of various odontocete melons based on CT scans

The melon is a mass of adipose tissue found in the foreheads of all toothed whales.[1][2] It focuses and modulates the animal's vocalizations and acts as a sound lens. It is thus a key organ involved in communication and echolocation.

  1. ^ Cranford, Ted W.; Amundin, Mats; Norris, Kenneth S. (June 1996). "Functional morphology and homology in the odontocete nasal complex: Implications for sound generation". Journal of Morphology. 228 (3): 223–285. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199606)228:3<223::AID-JMOR1>3.0.CO;2-3. PMID 8622183. S2CID 35653583.
  2. ^ Harper, C.J.; McLellan, W.A.; Rommel, S.A.; Gay, D.M.; Dillaman, R.M.; Pabst, D.A. (July 2008). "Morphology of the melon and its tendinous connections to the facial muscles in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)" (PDF). Journal of Morphology. 269 (7): 820–839. doi:10.1002/jmor.10628. PMID 18473369. S2CID 206090478.