# Any animals have more than two ears?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-animals-have-more-than-two-ears/290377>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 16, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-animals-have-more-than-two-ears/290377 "2005-02-16T18:03:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-animals-have-more-than-two-ears/290377/1 "2005-02-16T18:03:43Z")

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I heard crickets have ears on their knees… How many ears do they really have?  
Are fish ears on strips down their sides and does any animal have more than one nose (or separate olfactory glands)?

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-animals-have-more-than-two-ears/290377/2 "2005-02-16T20:38:44Z")

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Well Davy Crockett had …  
nah, I can’t say it.

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**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-animals-have-more-than-two-ears/290377/3 "2005-02-16T20:50:58Z")

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It depends on how you define “ears” and “noses.” Many fish have sensory organs along their sides called [lateral lines](http://www.parmly.luc.edu/parmly/lat_line_phys_anat.html) that detect currents generated by other fish. But they can have these on other parts of their bodies too. They are “ears” in that the cellular structure is similar to some of the cells found inside the human ear.

Technically, antenea would count as “ears” because they sense vibrations traveling through the ground or air, in much the same way our ears do.

Many animals, from reptiles to mammals have an additional organ on the roof of their mouths called the Vermonasal or [Jacobsen](http://www.cobras.org/cob_5.htm) organ that is sort of a mix between smell and taste.

There’s a huge amount of diversity when it comes to bodies interacting with the outside world. Worth looking into if you are interested.