Why does a cat need pockets on its ears?

Cat owners certainly know that their pets have some small skin folds on their ears that resemble a pocket. What do cats need them for and, in general, do they carry any functional load? Some breeds of dogs, bats and foxes have such pockets. But so far scientists have not come to a consensus on why these devices are needed. So there are several theories.

To pick up sound waves.

This is why cats have such good hearing!

The essence of this theory is that the ear “pockets” catch even the smallest rustles and sounds, amplifying them and redirecting the resulting sound to the inner ear. Something similar is done by the earpod on the human ear.

In principle, this theory is confirmed by the location of “pockets” – on the outer edge of the ear. But opponents of this assumption believe that for such a function, this location cannot be called the most successful.

For ear maneuverability

Sometimes it seems impossible to rotate the ears in this manner.

Proponents of this theory are sure that the “pockets” allow the cat to turn its ears with an almost incredible amplitude – up to 180°. This is also very important for the cat’s safety because it helps it better locate the source of the sound and, if necessary, escape. Perhaps this is why the animal’s ears move during sleep, and at the slightest danger, the cat immediately wakes up.

Fascinating ability of cat to turn ears to 180 degrees (it can turn ears even separately) is not available for nothing. The thing is that a cat has 30 muscles between inner and outer ears, while a human has only 6, for example. This design allows the cat to rotate its ears in different directions.

A valve for protection

There is a reason why the cat’s ear is so sensitive.

This assumption is based on the protective function of the “pocket” which, in this case, acts as a kind of valve by which the cat can close its ear at any external stimulation. Just under the folds of the “pocket” there are nerve receptors with very high sensitivity. Therefore, as soon as they are slightly affected, the ear can flap, or the cat shakes it vigorously.

Perhaps the owners of cats that like to sleep curled up on their owner’s chest have noticed the following feature – the air exhaled by humans touches the cat’s auricle and it begins to twitch rapidly. The same reaction happens when you blow on the ear of a sleeping cat. It is possible that this is one of the defense mechanisms that nature has provided for in the cat’s body.

Rudiment

“Everything comes in handy in the household.”

Another theory, this time based on the denial of the functionality of the pockets, according to which this atavism is an element of the rudimentary gill arch. As is known from the biology course, mammalian embryos at a certain stage of development acquire gills, which are then transformed into elements of the auditory apparatus, jaws, and hyoid bones. So, cat “pockets” can also turn out to be a part of the gill arch, and have no purpose whatsoever.