 Cldn14, a member of the tight junction proteins which form barriers between inner ear cells, shows exactly the same evolutionary pattern as Prestin.The two events of protein evolution, for Prestin and Cldn14, occurred at the same times as the tectonic opening of the Drake Passage (34-31 Ma) and the Antarctic ice growth at the middle Miocene climate transition (14 Ma), with the divergence of odontocetes and mysticetes occurring with the former, and the speciation of delphinioidae with the latter.There is a strong connection between these proteins, the ocean restructuring events, and the echolocation evolution.