Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking.

ABSTRACT: Although it is known that seals can use their whiskers (vibrissae) to extract relevant information from complex underwater flow fields, the underlying functioning of the system and the signals received by the sensors are poorly understood. Here we show that the vibrations of seal whiskers may provide information about hydrodynamic events and enable the sophisticated wake-tracking abilities of these animals. We developed a miniature accelerometer tag to study seal whisker movement in situ. We tested the ability of the tag to measure vibration in excised whiskers in a flume in response to laminar flow and disturbed flow. We then trained a seal to wear the tag and follow an underwater hydrodynamic trail to measure the whisker signals available to the seal. The results showed that whiskers vib

SUBMITTER: Murphy CT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5566400 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature