Whisking—the periodic movement of thewhiskers—is also presumed to serve tactilesensingin some way. However, exactly why an animal might be driven "to beat the night with sticks", as one researcher once put it,[35] is a matter of debate, and the answer is probably multi-faceted.
Their longwhiskersserve as tactile sensors, helping them to detect objects and changes in their surroundings. Thewhiskersalso aid insensingvibrationsand airflow, which can alerthamstersto potential danger or nearby predators.
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Guide them –Hamstersmove theirwhiskersconstantly in order tosensevibrationsand touch.Awhiskerless existence would be very distressing for yourhamsteras they use them tosensetheir surroundings and could become disorientated leading to injuries and health problems.
Whiskingis the act of moving theirwhiskersin rapid circles and making a mental image of the object their feeling in their brain. Other animals that havewhiskers, such as cats, do not use theirwhiskersforsensing.
Third, when rats/micewhiskagainst texturedsurfaces, thewhiskershave a tendency to move in a jerky fashion, as they first stick against thesurfacebefore slipping over it (stick-slip movements; Isett, Feasal, Lane, & Feldman, 2018; Jadhav et al., 2009; Wolfe et al., 2008).
FlowsensingwhiskersL. Miersch et al.Vibrationsalong thewhiskershaft were measured in a flume tank, at three orientations (0°, 45°, 90°) to the water flow. The results show thatvibrationfrequency and velocity ranges were similar for both undulated and smooth vibrissae.
