Hearing in baleen whales

Credit: Maya Yamato, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Here is an interesting article about hearing in large whales, a subject which is both very poorly understood and difficult to research. According to this study, it seems that minke whales have "a large, well-formed fat body" that connects the ears and provides a possible transmission pathway for sound from the environment to the inner ear:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417113640.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fplants_animals%2Fdolphins_and_whales+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Plants+%26+Animals+News+--+Dolphins+and+Whales%29