Mention the exact location of the following:
Semi-circular canals
Topic: Location of the semicircular canals
Answer
In the INNER EAR — they form part of the MEMBRANOUS LABYRINTH, lying above and behind the cochlea.
There are THREE semicircular canals, and they lie in three planes at RIGHT ANGLES to one another — which is the detail that matters, because it lets them detect movement in ALL THREE DIMENSIONS.
THEIR FUNCTION is DYNAMIC BALANCE — the balance of the body in MOTION, during turning or a sudden change of direction. Movement disturbs the endolymph inside them, and sensory cells in the swollen base of each canal (the ampulla) report it to the brain.
This explains DIZZINESS after spinning: the fluid keeps moving for a moment after you stop, so the canals report a turn that the eyes contradict.
STATIC balance — the body at rest — is the job of the UTRICULUS and SACCULUS.