any of the bristle-like sensitive hairs on the face of many mammals; whisker
2.
any of the specialized bristle-like feathers around the beak in certain insectivorous birds
Derived forms
vibrissal (viˈbrissal)
adjective
Word origin
C17: from Latin, probably from vibrāre to shake
Examples of 'vibrissae' in a sentence
vibrissae
Variations in cross-sectional profile and orientation of the vibrissae also exist between pinniped species.
Christin T. Murphy, William C. Eberhardt, Benton H. Calhoun, Kenneth A. Mann, DavidA. Mann 2013, 'Effect of Angle on Flow-Induced Vibrations of Pinniped Vibrissae', PLoS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0069872. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Facial vibrissae, commonly known as whiskers, are the main sensitive tactile system in rodents.
Oscar Gonzalez-Perez, Oscar Gonzalez-Perez, Verónica López-Virgen, Verónica López-Virgen,Nereida Ibarra-Castaneda 2018, 'Permanent Whisker Removal Reduces the Density of c-Fos+ Cells and the Expression ofCalbindin Protein, Disrupts Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Affects Spatial-Memory-RelatedTasks', Frontiers in Cellular Neurosciencehttp://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fncel.2018.00132/full. Retrieved from DOAJ CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
These factors may influence the way that the vibrissae behave when exposed to water flow.
Christin T Murphy, William C Eberhardt, Benton H Calhoun, Kenneth A Mann, David AMann 2013, 'Effect of angle on flow-induced vibrations of pinniped vibrissae.', PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3724740?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Smooth vibrissae were generally stiffer than beaded vibrissae.
Carly C Ginter Summarell, Sudeep Ingole, Frank E Fish, Christopher D Marshall 2015, 'Comparative Analysis of the Flexural Stiffness of Pinniped Vibrissae.', PLoS ONEhttp://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4489197?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
For rodents, active somatosensation includes scanning the immediate environment with the mystacial vibrissae.
Jeffrey D Moore, Nicole Mercer Lindsay, Martin Deschênes, David Kleinfeld 2015, 'Vibrissa Self-Motion and Touch Are Reliably Encoded along the Same Somatosensory Pathwayfrom Brainstem through Thalamus.', PLoS Biology http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4579082?pdf=render. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The profiles of beaded vibrissae are known to decrease the amplitude of vibrations when protruded into a flow field.
Carly C. Ginter Summarell, Sudeep Ingole, Frank E. Fish, Christopher D. Marshall 2015, 'Comparative Analysis of the Flexural Stiffness of Pinniped Vibrissae', PLOS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0127941. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The vibrissae serve a wide variety of important behavioral functions, including navigation, climbing, wake following, anemotaxis, and social interactions.
Hayley M. Belli, Chris S. Bresee, Matthew M. Graff, Mitra J. Z. Hartmann 2018, 'Quantifying the three-dimensional facial morphology of the laboratory rat with a focuson the vibrissae', PLOS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0194981. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
Nearly all mammals have vibrissae, which are generally arranged in rows and columns across the face.
Hayley M. Belli, Chris S. Bresee, Matthew M. Graff, Mitra J. Z. Hartmann 2018, 'Quantifying the three-dimensional facial morphology of the laboratory rat with a focuson the vibrissae', PLOS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0194981. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)
The results show that vibration frequency and velocity ranges were similar for both undulated and smooth vibrissae.
Christin T. Murphy, William C. Eberhardt, Benton H. Calhoun, Kenneth A. Mann, DavidA. Mann 2013, 'Effect of Angle on Flow-Induced Vibrations of Pinniped Vibrissae', PLoS ONE10.1371/journal.pone.0069872. Retrieved from PLOS CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode)