Spatial arrangement of the whiskers of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) compared to whisker arrangements of house mice (Mus musculus) and brown rats (Rattus norvegicus).
J Exp Biol
; 2024 Oct 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39387153
ABSTRACT
Whiskers (vibrissae) are important tactile sensors for most mammals. We introduce a novel approach to quantitatively compare 3D geometry of whisker arrays across species with different whisker numbers and arrangements, focusing on harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), house mice (Mus musculus) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Whiskers of all three species decrease in arclength and increase in curvature from caudal to rostral. They emerge from the face with elevation angles that vary linearly with dorsoventral position, and with curvature orientations that vary diagonally as linear combinations of dorsoventral and rostrocaudal positions. In seals, this diagonal varies linearly with horizontal emergence angles, and is orthogonal to the diagonal for rats and mice. This work provides the first evidence for common elements of whisker arrangements across species in different mammalian orders. Placing the equation-based whisker array on a CAD model of a seal head enables future mechanical studies of whisker-based sensing, including wake-tracking.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Exp Biol
/
J. exp. biol
/
Journal of experimental biology
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos
País de publicação:
Reino Unido