A seal can read an underwater trail with its whiskers — ChillScroll

A harbor seal swimming through clear blue water with long whiskers visible

A seal can read an underwater trail with its whiskers

A harbor seal's wavy whiskers stay relatively still in calm water but vibrate strongly in the tiny swirling wake left by something that passed. Those vibrations can reveal the direction and movement of the trail.

The swimmer may be gone, but the water has left the seal a wobbly little note.

Source · MIT News ↗