Expanding our understanding of auditory sensitivity in fishes is essential not only for advancing sensory biology, but also for assessing the impact of underwater noise on marine life. However, knowledge remains limited for many ecologically and commercially relevant marine species, particularly auditory generalists like the European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ). In this study, we used auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) to...

Ultrastructural descriptions of the inner ear of highly sound-dependent mammalian species are lacking and needed to gain a better understanding of the hearing sense. Here, we present the first morphometric descriptions of the sensory cells of the inner ear in the harbor seal ( Phoca vitulina ), a mammal with broadly sensitive amphibious hearing. Scanning electron micrographs of the apical surface of the outer hair cells (OHCs)...

Detailed post-mortem investigations including the auditory pathway are needed to advance our understanding of how underwater noise and other stressors affect hearing in cetaceans. A 12-year-old female porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) stranded alive in June 2021 at the German Baltic Sea coast and died some hours later. The most significant pathological findings were lesions caused by a severe aspergillosis that spread from the lu...

Humans impact natural systems at an unprecedented rate. The North Sea is one of the regions in the world with the highest levels of anthropogenic activity. Here, the harbor porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) is an abundant species and is often regarded as an ecosystem sentinel. A post-mortem surveillance program was established in the Netherlands aimed at increasing knowledge of the effects of human activities on harbor porpoises....