Inner Ear
Anatomy
The entire inner ear is approximately the size of a medium-large green pea. The two parts of the inner ear function in a similar manner to allow for the sense of hearing and the sense of balance. These small, delicate structures are embedded in the petrous pyramid of the temporal bone of the skull.
The balance portion of the inner ear consists of three semicircular canals: the utricle and the saccule. The semicircular canals, so positioned that they are in the three common planes of head movement, allow for the sensations of movements in these planes. Both the utricle and the saccule help the balance portion of the brain keep us upright and gravity-oriented so we don’t fall.
The hearing portion of the inner ear is known as the cochlea
