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 m...

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Autores principales:	Christin T. Murphy, Colleen Reichmuth, William C. Eberhardt, Benton H. Calhoun, David A. Mann
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/db112b89d8504eaeb5e9b3cf32b66f1a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:db112b89d8504eaeb5e9b3cf32b66f1a2021-12-02T15:05:06ZSeal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking10.1038/s41598-017-07676-w2045-2322https://doaj.org/article/db112b89d8504eaeb5e9b3cf32b66f1a2017-08-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-07676-whttps://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract 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 vibrated at frequencies of 100–300 Hz, with a dynamic response. These measurements are the first to capture the incoming signals received by the vibrissae of a live seal and show that there are prominent signals at frequencies where the seal tactogram shows good sensitivity. Tapping into the mechanoreceptive interface between the animal and the environment may help to decipher the functional basis of this extraordinary hydrodynamic detection ability.Christin T. MurphyColleen ReichmuthWilliam C. EberhardtBenton H. CalhounDavid A. MannNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-6 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Christin T. Murphy Colleen Reichmuth William C. Eberhardt Benton H. Calhoun David A. Mann Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
description	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 vibrated at frequencies of 100–300 Hz, with a dynamic response. These measurements are the first to capture the incoming signals received by the vibrissae of a live seal and show that there are prominent signals at frequencies where the seal tactogram shows good sensitivity. Tapping into the mechanoreceptive interface between the animal and the environment may help to decipher the functional basis of this extraordinary hydrodynamic detection ability.
format	article
author	Christin T. Murphy Colleen Reichmuth William C. Eberhardt Benton H. Calhoun David A. Mann
author_facet	Christin T. Murphy Colleen Reichmuth William C. Eberhardt Benton H. Calhoun David A. Mann
author_sort	Christin T. Murphy
title	Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
title_short	Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
title_full	Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
title_fullStr	Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
title_full_unstemmed	Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking
title_sort	seal whiskers vibrate over broad frequencies during hydrodynamic tracking
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/db112b89d8504eaeb5e9b3cf32b66f1a
work_keys_str_mv	AT christintmurphy sealwhiskersvibrateoverbroadfrequenciesduringhydrodynamictracking AT colleenreichmuth sealwhiskersvibrateoverbroadfrequenciesduringhydrodynamictracking AT williamceberhardt sealwhiskersvibrateoverbroadfrequenciesduringhydrodynamictracking AT bentonhcalhoun sealwhiskersvibrateoverbroadfrequenciesduringhydrodynamictracking AT davidamann sealwhiskersvibrateoverbroadfrequenciesduringhydrodynamictracking
_version_	1718388987325841408

Seal Whiskers Vibrate Over Broad Frequencies During Hydrodynamic Tracking

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