Marine Mammals Actively Explore Environment with Whiskers

AnimalsBiologyEcologyNature
Written By Mary Bates
California sea lion. Kitty Terwolbeck, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license.

California sea lion. Kitty Terwolbeck, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Whiskers aren’t just decorative. Whisker touch is an active sensory system. Most mammals have whiskers and a few, like rats and shrews, are whisker specialists – actively controlling their whiskers to guide exploration, foraging, and navigation. Pinnipeds (the group that includes seals, sea lions, and walruses) also have highly prominent and sensitive whiskers. Are they as adept at using their whiskers as land-living whisker specialists?

See my latest Animal Minds blog post: Marine Mammals Actively Explore Environment with Whiskers.

Mary Bates
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