Why do dogs ears split in two?

Question

I have a labrador and ive allways noticed it, at the bottom of his ear it splits into two (i thought it was if he wanted ear rings ;-D) For pictures go here

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z206/ep53/28052007004.jpg

AND

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z206/ep53/28052007001.jpg

Cheers

Answer 1

are you sure people did not clip the ear for a marking that sold it to you, some do.

Answer 2

All dogs have ears like that.

I have a Basset hound and her ears are about a foot long (seriously) and she has that same thing, except on her ears that "bit" is about two inches long.

Cats have it too. I'm not sure, but I think it's the spot where the ear folds when animals with erect ears pin them back. It serves no purpose in our flop-eared dogs, of course, but that feature is still there since it's part of the species' anatomy.

Why are our ears shaped the way they are? Go figure.

Answer 3

This is normal, cats, dogs, rats and several other animals have these "splits".

I believe that this helps in collecting sounds. When a dog is listening and turns his ears this helps them to determine direction that the sound is coming from.

Answer 4

I understand exactly what you saying and why. And I find it disturbing that breeds "split" as you put it and sway to extremes. But no. I do not think we should call them different breeds. We already have figured out how to specify the difference and I think it works. Re: the BC, just recently accepted by the AKC. The "conformation" standard is rather a mockery as this breed has "been" for ages and was not bred for its looks. They were bred by farmers to do a job, not by nobility as an ornament. The standard can not describe one of the most "unique breed" features, the look in the eye. One that I see lacking in conformation BCs. A conformation show can not prove what makes a BC a BC...herding instinct. One of the most amusing observations in notating the general difference between working dogs and conformation is the difference in the dog's "mass".... height, bone, head size, body, weight....which determines athleticism. Or ;) lack of!

Answer 5

This is normal dog ear anatomy. Each animal's ear is shaped in order to be most effective at receiving and processing different frequencies.

Read about how the ear works here:
http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/ah3.html
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/anphys/2000/Hatfield/Hatfield2.htm#the%20senses

Chalice

Answer 6

EVERY dog in the world...every CAT...every MOUSE,etc.etc.....,has that "pocket"!