The cochlea is the part of the inner ear involved in hearing. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, in humans … See more

The name 'cochlea' is derived from the Latin word for snail shell, which in turn is from the Ancient Greek κοχλίας kokhlias ("snail, screw"), and from κόχλος kokhlos ("spiral shell") in reference to its coiled shape; the … See more

The cochlea is filled with a watery liquid, the endolymph, which moves in response to the vibrations coming from the middle ear via the oval window. As the fluid moves, the cochlear partition (basilar membrane and organ of Co… See more

Damage to the cochlea can result from different incidents or conditions like a severe head injury, a cholesteatoma, an infection, and/or exposure to loud noise which could kill hair cells in the cochlea.
Hearing los… See more

The coiled form of cochlea is unique to mammals. In birds and in other non-mammalian vertebrates, the compartment containing the sensory cells for hearing is occasionally also called "cochlea," despite not being c… See more