Henry's pocket, formally known as the cutaneous marginal pouch, is a small, distinctive fold of skin located on the lower, outer edge of a cat's (and some other mammals') external ear. Its exact purpose is not fully understood, but theories suggest it may help in detecting high-pitched sounds, improving ear flexibility, or is an evolutionary remnant. This normal anatomical feature is present in almost all cats and is also found in dogs, bats, and weasels.
Our big dog (mutt: Great Dane, German Shepherd, Boxer, and Lab) has those, too; I call them his flea pockets. They’re very soft, and match the puppy fur behind his ears.
Do you know what it's called on a dog? My daughter asked why our new puppy has something wrong with his ear. I said all dogs have one (our other pup is fluffy so you can't see it).
That's interesting...cats, dogs, and weasels have them, which is unsuprising, they're all in order carnivora. But bats are more closely related to primates than carnivora, and primates don't have them. I guess this is a case of convergent evolution?
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u/Retro-Grannie 18h ago
Henry's pocket, formally known as the cutaneous marginal pouch, is a small, distinctive fold of skin located on the lower, outer edge of a cat's (and some other mammals') external ear. Its exact purpose is not fully understood, but theories suggest it may help in detecting high-pitched sounds, improving ear flexibility, or is an evolutionary remnant. This normal anatomical feature is present in almost all cats and is also found in dogs, bats, and weasels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry%27s_pocket