32 Whiskers-Mid

Whiskers FOCUS Question How do animals use their whiskers?

What Whiskers Do You might think whiskers make an animal look cute. But whiskers do much more than that! Whiskers are part of an animal's sense of touch. Whiskers help animals tell the size and shape of objects. Animals use them to tell how close something is. They can also feel moving air or water with their whiskers.

When something brushes the hair on your arms, you can feel it. Nerves in your skin send signals to your brain. Animal whiskers are different from hair. They are called vibrissae (vy-BRIH-see). Vibrissae grow from deeper below the skin than hair. They have many more nerves around them than hair does. People don't have vibrissae.

Whiskers for Mr. Whiskers Cats have whiskers on their face and front legs. They use their whiskers to tell the size and shape of things. Whiskers help cats know if they will fit into a small space. Cat whiskers can also sense moving air. Cats can feel air moving when they jump. They can also feel air moving when a mouse runs by.

Science in Your World Never cut a cat's or dog's whiskers Animals need their whiskers to gather information. Whiskers for Spot Dogs have whiskers on their face, too. Their whiskers help them tell the size and shape of things. They can also tell if something is moving nearby. Most dogs have a long snout. They can't see something if it's right under their nose! Whiskers help them identify things that are close to their head.

Whiskers in the Dark Whiskers help rats live in dark places. Rats have many whiskers on their face that they can move back and forth. Whisking is when rats brush and tap something with their whiskers. A rat can feel a lot more with its whiskers than people feel with their fingers! Do You Know? Rats can "hear" with their whiskers! Sounds make the whiskers vibrate, or shake. The rat senses what the sound was.