BodicaRexVII
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Most whales still have the mammalian conceit of an ear canal and other recognisable features of land-mammal ears, but the nature of sound in water means that whales have evolved a free-floating series of bones inside their heads which isolates sound direction despite the vibration of their own bodies caused by the sound waves travelling through water.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150311-whales-hearing-underwater-ears-echolocation-ocean-animals-science/
http://www.dosits.org/animals/soundreception/mammalshear/hearingincetaceans/
The ear wax recovered from dead whales can be used to age the whale, and increasingly for more complex research on their chemical intake, hormone production and such.
http://www.livescience.com/39727-blue-whale-earwax-chemical-archive.html
BatmansUnderPantsAreSoSoft
whale oil beef hooked (say it fast)
Corvuscoronoides
YaY science!! But also kinda gross
HankHell2400
I was literally about to ask how whales had non-functional ears but still 'sang', and then OP explained how whales hear. Damn fine job.
WhenIdiedeletemymemes
LazyPillowFighter
Skibearbumm
Anythings a dildo right?
stevo2286
whale, would you look at that
McCrappen
My mind read this in an Irish accent... This Saint paddys day stuff is really starting to rub off
Roland191145
Why use the ear wax as a tree ring style of age determination. Just read the label that on it. COME ON SCIENCE get your act together!
maniacalmacaroni
At first I thought that specimen tag was something the whale had picked up, like a suicide note from some guy stranded on a remote island.
stimpsonjcatt
In the beginning, me too. Clearly we need to slow down a bit.
NotACanadian
Or a suicide note written by the whale.
DoseOfScience
+1 for science with links.
Bergeldergle
Good lord, i saw "ear plug" and completely missed "whale." Was thinking "What human has ear canals that large???" D:
Idriveboats
You want to make people cringe? Lick it.
doihearanamen
Image: "Whale ear canals are non-functional because science". Post: "Here's the function of a whale's ear canal because science."
MaxximumB
I heard about this.
stimpsonjcatt
From IMGUR, this one time
Mulberryberry
WHAT?
brundelfly
You know there are people that probably eat this and also people that find it sexy. The intersection of that venn diagram is a dark place.
Sugarcrotch
now use it as a dildo if you are brave enough
WaterblightGanon
the warmth of your booty will heat the wax and provide plenty of lube
BananaForScaIe
"Yeah! I fucking dare you to fuck yourself with whale ear wax" - Sugarcrotch
Sugarcrotch
-2017
ChestPube
iamjustthisguy
We need a bigger Q-tip.
ViciousOtter
neat
thisismycatsaccount
Yeah but can you eat it or make some sort of lip gloss out of it?
HughLaurie
Is that stuff valuable like say, ambergris?
DopeyFuckedaPenguinOnceAgain
That's Mobys dick
erischilde
Moby the artist maybe, the whale cock would be the size of a small car.
Nuggetti
http://imgur.com/1OZyTAE WHITE WHALE HOLY GRAIL
Applepotamus
whitewater0034
Whats 10 foot long and drags on the sea bed? Mobys dick...
oldandfat
Whale oil beef hooked
Snoman314
I could be wrong, but that sounds like more Bullshit excuses for the Japanese to get around the ban, and keep killing whales to eat them.
Boooooooooognish
Eeeewwwwwww
TeeMee123
inb4 japan finds a way to use this is an excuse for more whale hunting
accusativedoctorwhom
What does "mammalian conceit" mean? How dare you be a mammal?
BodicaRexVII
Using it in the sense of "fanciful" as the ear canal is useless now.
JohnLeePettimore
Tell the Chinese that it helps you get boners and we'll get rid of these damn whales
ImmortalAzrael
I think the Japanese are already working on that.
futzbot
I've dobe some mercury work with whale plugs. Man, do they smell horrible!
BodicaRexVII
Intriguing, what was the purpose of the work?
futzbot
It's to determine exposure over time. MeHg bio accumulates, and as OP mentioned, there are distinct varves that help us determine the...
futzbot
animal's history. There are some specimens that are several decades old, preserved in museums, that can help reveal changes over centuries!
arewevenom
I want to see whales before they became aquatic they must have been fucking terrafying
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YourMomsNewBoyfriend
Oh wow a genuine retarded.
doihearanamen
You know what's terrifying? "terrafying"
TheMajesticHarpyEagle
Depends on what you mean. If you mean before they entered the water, then no. If you mean before the became fully aquatic but still swam and
TheMajesticHarpyEagle
so on then yes.