Diversity of Vibrissal Follicle Anatomy in Cetaceans
July 2021
in “
The anatomical record
”
TLDR Different whale and dolphin species have unique whisker follicle structures, suggesting they might use their whiskers in various ways.
The document describes a study on the anatomy of vibrissal follicles in three cetacean species: the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus), the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), and the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). It was found that all three species possess simple, single-part vibrissal follicles with few, short vibrissae, but there were notable differences in vibrissal number, follicle size and shape, and innervation patterns among the species. The minke whale's vibrissal follicles had a deep vibrissal nerve, while the odontocetes had more branched and looser nerve fibers, with some fibers in the Atlantic white-sided dolphin running parallel to the follicle and innervating more superficial areas. These findings suggest a diverse range of vibrissal morphology in cetaceans, indicating a potential variety of mechanoreceptive, proprioceptive, and electroreceptive functions, and highlight the need for further research to understand the relationship between form and function in cetacean vibrissae.
