Have you ever wondered yourself why almost all fishes got stones inside their heads? I have been asking myself for a while, why the fishes have that small stone in their heads, and have done enough research and have found the answer to the question. Actually it’s not a stone, it’s a Otoliths or calcium carbonate which is found in every fishes except sharks and rays. Otoliths are calcium carbonate chemical structure found in the heads of all species of fishes except sharks and rays, and are used for hearing and balance. when I found this I asked, how do fishes use these stones to provide the hearing and balance ability? And also, I wondered how do humans reuse these stones for their benefits?
That small rocky structure is just millimeters in sizes. They are also known as ear stones. It is used for hearing and balance for fishes which have them. Human beings also have smaller ear stones which are used for similar purposes. These rocky like structures come in pairs, one to each ear, and are located near a fish’s brain. They are composed of calcium carbonate in one of three mineral forms: primarily aragonite; sometimes calcite; and rarely vaterite. All species or type of fish has otoliths with a particular shape. It is important to note that each otolith tells a detailed story about a fish’s life. The size of the otolith gives an estimate of a fish’s body length. It also records a fish’s age and in some way the rate of growth.
Scientific analysis of otoliths tells the average water temperature during a fish’s life. It also even help us to understand ourselves as humans, in particular our history. The fish ear stone mysteries relates greatly to humans and fish. The good thing is that fish have rocks their heads that enables them to hear. The stones have also aided scientists to tune into amazing natural history stories.
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Otoliths
