Saturday, November 12, 2022

Whiskers

An animal's whiskers are crucial sensory organs that help animals perceive and navigate their environment. Dr. Robyn Grant is a sensory biologist studying comparative anatomy, physiology, and behavior. She tells us that humans are one of the few mammals that don't have whiskers (mustaches and beards are not the same), but our distant ancestors may have had them. Animals use their whiskers for amazing feats, like aquatic mammals that can detect the wake a fish leaves in the water. While we may not have our own amazing whiskers, the study of animal whiskers can lead to rather useful technologies. (via Laughing Squid)

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