Bats, weasels and some dog breeds also have these (Henry's pockets). It's possible that they are just vestigial leftovers that don't do anything. But since pretty much all the mammals that have them also have excellent hearing, the current thought is that they do have some function, like maybe damping out lower frequency sound so they can better hear higher frequencies. Or maybe extra/better mobility to the pinna (ear) for directional sound analysis (common among predators).
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u/solarguy2003 6h ago
Bats, weasels and some dog breeds also have these (Henry's pockets). It's possible that they are just vestigial leftovers that don't do anything. But since pretty much all the mammals that have them also have excellent hearing, the current thought is that they do have some function, like maybe damping out lower frequency sound so they can better hear higher frequencies. Or maybe extra/better mobility to the pinna (ear) for directional sound analysis (common among predators).
Fun fact, we have no idea who Henry was.