Brown Owl remarkable head stability

Owls can exhibit a remarkable head stability during angular movement of the body about any axis passing through the skull. K.E. Money 1962. See THE VESTIBULAR SYSTEM OF THE OWL Author(s): Money, K.E.; Correia, M.J. Abstract: Owls have a curious variability in the postrotatory head nystagmus following abrupt angular deceleration. Owls can exhibit a remarkable head stability during angular movement of the body about any axis passing through the skull. The vestibular apparatus in the owl is bigger than in man, and a prominent crista neglecta is present. The tectorial membrane, the cupula, and the otolithic membranes of the utricle, saccule and lagena are all “attached“ to surfaces in addition to the surfaces bearing hair cells; these attachments are very substantial in the utricular otolithic membrane and in the cupula.
Back to Top