otolith
Inner ear mineral
An otolith is a small calcium carbonate structure in the inner ear of vertebrates that helps sense gravity and movement.
Fish otoliths grow in layers like tree rings, making them useful for determining age in fisheries research.
In humans, displaced otoliths can cause vertigo when they drift into the semicircular canals.
fish anatomy
Vestibular gravity sensor
- utricleBalance-sensing ear chamber
- teleostBony, ray-finned fish
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
- aragoniteCalcium carbonate crystal form
calcium carbonate · macula · growth rings · annuli · microstructure
age determination
Annual layers in wood
- annuliRing-shaped structures
- microstructureSubmillimeter material composition
- chronologyTemporal ordering of events
- life historyComplete biographical account
balance
Of the balance organ
- equilibriumState of balance
- spatial orientationAwareness of position in space
- accelerationRate velocity changes
- head positionSkull's orientation in space
paleontology
Minute preserved organism
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- evolutionSpecies changing over generations
saccule
Vestibular gravity sensor
- utricleBalance-sensing ear chamber
- teleostBony, ray-finned fish
- ichthyologyScientific study of piscine life
aragonite · calcium carbonate · macula · growth rings · annuli · microstructure
growth rings
Annual layers in wood
- annuliRing-shaped structures
- microstructureSubmillimeter material composition
- chronologyTemporal ordering of events
vestibular
Of the balance organ
- equilibriumState of balance
- spatial orientationAwareness of position in space
- accelerationRate velocity changes
head position · motion detection · sensory · inertia · proprioception
microfossil
Minute preserved organism
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species