What do rat ears look like? - briefly
Rat ears are small, rounded, and largely hairless, displaying a pinkish or light‑brown hue depending on the animal’s coloration, with a thin layer of fine fur along the outer edge. The pinna is thin, flexible, and positioned high on the head, allowing the animal to detect high‑frequency sounds.
What do rat ears look like? - in detail
Rat ears are small, triangular structures positioned on the sides of the head, slightly tilted forward. The typical length ranges from 1.5 to 2.5 cm, while the width measures about 1 to 1.5 cm. The outer surface, called the pinna, consists of a thin layer of skin covered by fine, short hair that matches the animal’s overall coat color, which may be brown, gray, black, or white depending on the strain.
Key anatomical features include:
- Cartilaginous framework: a flexible scaffold of elastic cartilage provides shape and allows movement for sound localization.
- Blood supply: a dense network of capillaries runs just beneath the skin, giving the ears a pinkish hue in light‑skinned rats and a darker tone in pigmented individuals.
- Nerve innervation: the auricular branch of the vagus nerve and the trigeminal nerve supply sensory input, making the ears highly responsive to acoustic stimuli.
- Auditory canal entrance: a narrow opening located at the base of the pinna leads to the external auditory meatus; the margin is surrounded by a small rim of hair.
The inner surface of the pinna is smooth and relatively hairless, facilitating the transmission of sound waves toward the ear canal. In laboratory rats, the ears often appear more rounded and less furred than in wild counterparts, reflecting selective breeding for health monitoring. The overall appearance is consistent across adult specimens, with minor variations attributable to age, sex, and genetic background.