Seal whiskers sense faraway fish

[Judi Lynn]

last updated at 03:33 GMT, Friday, 11 June 2010 04:33 UK
Seal whiskers sense faraway fish
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News

Harbour seals may be able to detect fish up to 100m (328ft) away using only their whiskers, say scientists.

Researchers used an artificial fish in their experiment, to create a "trail" in the water that a seal could detect.

The described how a trained seal, named Henry, was able to indicate, with a twitch of its head, whether the fish moved to the right or to the left.

The team described the study in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

The study was led by Wolf Hanke of the Marine Science Centre at the University of Rostock, Germany. He explained how the seal wore a blindfold and headphones during the experiment to ensure that it could only pick up sensations from the water with its whiskers.

More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10287564.stm