Abstract
The transition from the reptilian to the mammalian stage of the otic region will not be discussed here. Of interest within the scope of this paper is the evolution of the middle ear apparatus after a truly mammalian condition had already developed. The latter is characterized by the incorporation into the middle ear of malleus, incus, and the tympanic bone. Both the monotremes as well as the therians (marsupials plus placentals) seem to have arrived at the mammalian stage independently. Since the ear of the monotremes is not a typically mammalian one and did not evolve very much it shall be mentioned only briefly. More details can be found in Fleischer (1973a).
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© 1978 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Fleischer, G. (1978). The Ancestral Middle Ear. In: Evolutionary Principles of the Mammalian Middle Ear. Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology, vol 55/5. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67143-2_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-67143-2_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-09140-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-67143-2
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