How does the auricle collect sound waves?

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Diagram showing auditory mechanisms in insects, including labeled illustrations of a scolophore organ, the mosquito ear with antenna shaft and scolophores, the cicada ear with auditory capsule and tympanic membrane, and the grasshopper ear with sensory body and tympanic membrane. — sound reception Auditory mechanisms in insects. (Left) A scolophore organ. (Top right) The mosquito ear. (Centre right) The ear of the cicada *Magicicada septendecim*. (Bottom right) The ear of the grasshopper.

The auricle, also known as the pinna, functions as the visible portion of the outer ear that collects sound waves from the environment.12

Its structure is composed of a thin plate of yellow elastic cartilage molded into a series of ridges, furrows, and hollows that form an irregular, shallow funnel. This shape is designed to capture sound and, in conjunction with the concha—the deepest depression of the auricle—funnel those waves into the external auditory canal.31

Once directed into the canal, the sound waves are guided toward the tympanic membrane. While the auricle is highly effective in many mammals for gathering sound and determining direction, the human auricle is relatively small and immobile, making it less specialized for these tasks in humans.12