Have you heard?

The size and structure of a species’ inner ear are correlated to its hunting techniques!

As faster species evolved, their inner ears grew in size. Larger inner ears help cheetahs, lions and wolves keep their head stable while moving at high speeds.

By analyzing the makeup of the three bony canals, researchers were able to estimate whether a specific predator species — including extant species — relied on high-speed pursuit, pouncing, ambushing or some combination of the three.

Can you guess which technique the earliest known dog species used?

For the answer and more.