the cochlea, is the organ of hearing. The coiled tube, snail-like in appearance, contains three canals. The vestibular canal runs from the oval window to the tympanic canal which, in turn, runs to the round window. The cochlear canal is sandwiched in between the vestibular and tympanic canals. The receptor cells for sound, specialized for the detection of vibration, are contained within the organ of Corti. This organ projects out into the cochlear canal from the canal's basilar membrane. Each receptor cell has a sensory hair at its apex which projects into the gelatinous tectorial membrane. Dendrites of sensor neurons are in close contact with the surface of each receptor cell.
