By
Ella Davies, Reporter, BBC Nature
Seals
are able to judge the size of an object using their whiskers, according to
research.
The
mammals are known for their touch-sensitive whiskers but scientists wanted to
know exactly how they size up their prey.
Researchers
from Manchester Metropolitan University found that the animals move specialised
whiskers towards an object to measure it.
The
results also showed how quickly seals could judge size.
The
findings are published in the Journal of Comparative Physiology A.
Dr
Robyn Grant travelled to the marine science centre at the University of Rostock
in Germany to study the whiskers of two harbour seals named Marco and Moe.
Recent
hydrodynamic research showed how seals can size up fish based on the wake they leave as they move
through the water.
"We
thought it would be good to do more of an in-depth study to look at how they do
it rather than just whether they can do it or not," explained Dr Grant.
Many
species use whiskers as touch sensors and animals such as rats and mice move their
whiskers around in order to get more information about their environment.
Read
on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21442501
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