Where it is
On the upper and lower lip, on the cheeks, on the chin and above the eyes.
- Layer
- Exterior and regions
- System
- Body regions
- Region
- Head
What it is and what it does
Vibrissae are thick, richly innervated hairs that serve the sense of touch. In the dog six groups are confirmed: above the eyes, on the upper lip (the whiskers), on the lower lip, on the chin, on the cheeks and in the zygomatic region, plus microvibrissae on the lips. Touching the ones above the eyes or the whiskers triggers a reflex blink; the dog pushes its whiskers forward when exploring an object.
Worth remembering
Don't trim them: they are sensory hairs, with nerves at the base, and the dog uses them to explore.
Names
- Also called: whiskers, tactile hairs.
- Latin term: pili tactiles.
- In Romanian: Vibrizele (firele tactile) (Romanian page).
In the atlas lessons
The head: what you see, what is underneath (6 min):
The lips: thin, mobile, with tactile hairs; the upper lip covers the lower one. The vibrissae on the lips, cheeks, chin and above the eyes are organs of touch.
Questions from the atlas
"Find it on the drawing" questions whose answer is this structure; in the atlas you will find them in the question bank and in the lessons.