Tympanum (anatomy)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Tympanum" anatomy – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The tympanum is an external hearing structure in animals such as mammals, birds, some reptiles, some amphibians and some insects.^[1]

Using sound, vertebrates and many insects are capable of sensing their prey, identifying and locating their predators, warning other individuals, and locating potential mates and rivals by hearing the intentional or unintentional sounds they make.

In general, any animal that reacts to sounds or communicates by means of sound, needs to have an auditory mechanism. This typically consists of a membrane capable of vibration known as the tympanum, an air-filled chamber and sensory organs to detect the auditory stimuli.