Final answer:
The special sensory cells for the hearing apparatus are the cochlear hair cells, which are responsible for transducing auditory stimuli into electrical signals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The special sensory cells for the hearing apparatus are the cochlear hair cells. These hair cells are found in the inner ear and are responsible for transducing auditory stimuli into electrical signals that can be processed by the brain.
The cochlear hair cells are located in the organ of Corti, which is composed of hair cells held in place above the basilar membrane. When sound waves enter the ear, they cause the stereocilia on the hair cells to bend, leading to the opening of ion channels and depolarization of the hair cell membrane. This triggers the transmission of signals to the cochlear nerve, which is then interpreted by the brain as sound.
Unlike other sensory cells, such as olfactory cells in the nose or gustatory cells in the taste buds, cochlear hair cells are specifically specialized for the sense of hearing.