The Stapes

ear · bones · sound · super tiny

Smallest bone ever. The stapes is the littlest and lightest bone in your whole body, about the size of a grain of rice. It weighs less than a penny.

Named like a stirrup. The stapes got its name because it looks like a tiny stirrup on a horse's saddle. In fact, another word for it is the stirrup bone.

Sound delivery system. When sound waves hit your eardrum, they make three tiny bones wiggle in a chain, with the stapes being the last one. It passes those vibrations to your inner ear through a special opening called the oval window.

Connected by a ligament. The stapes is held in place by something called an annular ligament, which connects it to the oval window. This special connection lets the stapes rock back and forth to send sound energy into your inner ear.

Found in many creatures. Stapes bones aren't just in humans, you'll find them in lots of other animals called tetrapods, which means four-legged creatures like frogs, lizards, and mammals.