A new study including Mote Marine Laboratory’s resident manatees indicates that the marine mammals’ body whiskers are almost as sensitive as their facial whiskers in analyzing their underwater surroundings and detecting vibrations in the water.
Manatees are known for using their facial whiskers to navigate their environment, often touching objects around them. But this recent study, part of the University of Florida doctoral dissertation of Joe Gaspard, a former Mote Marine employee now at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, as well as authors from New College of Florida and Mote, shows how manatee body hairs can sense changes in the water and use that information in their movement.
“We wanted to study the senses of manatees — what’s the world they perceive?” said New College professor of psychology Gordon Bauer, who began working on the study with Mote in 1998. “Their vision isn’t good and they’re active at night, so how do they get around?”