What are malleus, incus, and stapes?

The auditory ossicles—malleus, incus, and stapes—are three small bones in the middle ear that transmit air vibrations from the outer ear into the inner ear, so they can be processed as sound. They are named after their resemblance to a hammer, anvil, and stirrup, respectively.

There are three small bones (ossicles) that transfer the movement of the tympanic membrane (ear drum) caused by sound waves to the inner ear. The formal name of the three bones are malleus, incus and stapes. The more common names are hammer, anvil and stirrup. This chain of bones is an elegant example of natures bioengineering. It is small, efficient and reliable. When you view the bones using an otoscope, you are actually viewing them in the "middle ear." This is the space behind the tympanic membrane (ear drum). The reason that they can be seen is because the ear drum is somewhat transparent.