Can a Lizard Hear?

Dear Elijah,

That is a good question. I think I can guess why you asked it. When you look at a lizard, you don't see ears that stick out of its head like you see on a dog, rat, or pig. That makes us wonder if they can hear. But think about this: do you see ears on birds? But we know they must be able to hear because of all the wonderful songs that God designed them to sing to each other. The truth is, many lizards can hear very well. They have ears, but not like ours. Inside of our ear there is an eardrum, or tympanic membrane, that detects vibrations. But did you know that many lizards have their eardrums on the outside of their heads, or in a shallow area just slightly below the surface of their heads? This tympanic membrane allows them to detect vibrations and sounds much like ours does. Since there are so many different kinds of lizards, from crocodiles to Gila monsters, some of them hear better than others. But, in general, God designed lizards to be able to hear, even without external (or outside) ears like humans and hamsters have.

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org