The Central Auditory System of Reptiles and Birds

The central auditory systems of both birds and reptiles (jointly known as sauropsids) are organized along a common plan. The similarities among the sauropsids are presumably due to the conserved nature of the auditory sense and to the close phylogenetic relationships within the group. The common organization of the auditory system has allowed us to organize this chapter by auditory nucleus from hindbrain to forebrain. The embryology, anatomy, and physiology of the auditory nuclei of the turtles, snakes and lizards, crocodiles, and birds will be described, with attention paid to both conserved and derived features. A more extensive list of the older literature may be found in Carr (1992).