Sciuridae Sciurus niger (fox squirrel) Image Caption: A fox squirrel with inset showing enlarged vibrissae (whiskers). Unlike normal hair, vibrissae grow from hair follicles that are 5-6 times larger than the normal pelage hair follicle, and in rodents, special brain regions process impulses caused by the movement from these hairs (Ahl, 1987). Extending the animal’s tactile sensory range, a fox squirrel’s whisker, on average, measures a little over a head-width and a half in length (Ahl, 1987). Although in an experiment no difference was established in predation on mice with clipped whiskers compared to normal bewhiskered mice (Pearson, 1962), it’s unlikely that whiskers are, in fact, useless. In support of the supposed function of collecting important sensory information especially when other senses are less effective, nocturnal flying squirrels generally have whiskers proportionally longer than tree squirrels, which are longer than ground squirrels (Ahl, 1987). |
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Image Location: Image Date: 2008DEC06 Image Species: Sciurus Large Image: (EXIF information is accurate, stamped in UTC time). Inset Image Date: 2008OCT13 Inset Image Species: Sciurus Web
Page and Pictures By Hannah Leitheiser |