Figure 25. An inverted view of the TPC from Tursiops truncatus at 32.1 kHz.

The left image, in this and the next ten figures, is an inverted medial view of the left TPC from Tursiops truncatus, reconstructed from micro-CT scans. The periotic bone is salmon colored, the tympanic bone is cyan, and the ossicles are: malleus = yellow, incus = magenta, stapes = green. The image on the right always shows the vibrational pattern, in this case calculated for the first natural mode of vibration at 32.1 kHz, the 11^th natural mode of vibration. The entire TPC was included during the numerical analysis calculations, but the medial portion was later removed to facilitate viewing the middle ear ossicles. Warm colors indicate the largest displacements of the elements and the cold colors represent the smallest displacements. This figure is linked to the animation sequence that depicts the vibrational mode (Figure S25). The vibrations have been exaggerated for easier viewing (see methods section).