22/06/2023
https://auscape.com.au/?mc_search=3135
Vibrissae are the cat’s whiskers, also the dog’s, the seal’s, the rat’s and most other mammals (but not humans despite your thoughts on the beard of your nearest and dearest). Whiskers differ from other hairs and serve as tactile sensors. They tend to be stiffer, longer and coarser than other types of hair and are connected to the central nervous system. They are not always around the face but can be on other parts of the body. (Your cat has additional vibrissae on the back of its front legs, giving it important information about objects in its grasp).
A nocturnal animal uses its whiskers to sense the movement of prey and for marine mammals such as seals they detect vibrations made by fish travelling nearby. They can be tools in measurement and navigation: a tiger uses its whiskers to judge the width of an opening and to gauge the topography for night-time hunting.
But when is a whisker not a whisker? When it’s a barbel. Barbels are not hairs but fleshy sensory organs around the mouths of bottom-dwelling animals, enclosing the taste buds and used for feeling out prey in the murky water. Many fish species including some sharks have them, also the Eastern snake-necked turtle and Musk turtle. And what about those whiskery feathers around the beaks of some birds? These are rictal bristles, also acting as feelers, aiding their possessors to forage, fly and navigate in the dark.
Click here to look at some of our whiskery creatures:
https://auscape.com.au/?mc_search=3135
