part of part of in taxon capable of part of capable of part of sensory perception of touch Mammalia Homo sapiens strand of hair somatosensory system strand of vibrissa hair BTO:0003488 whisker true whisker MA:0000782 A specialized hair usually employed for tactile sensation. Vibrissae hair grow around the nostrils, above the lips, and on other parts of the face of most mammals, and all primates except humans. vibrissae are different from other hairs because they are implanted in a special hair follicle incorporating a capsule of blood called a blood sinus and heavily innervated by sensory nerves[WP]. contour hair MESH:D014738 vibrissa vibrissae sinus hair tactile hair Wikipedia:Whiskers vibrissa hair motile vibrissa macrovibrissa touch hair EMAPA:26747 UBERON:0006378 http://eulep.pdn.cam.ac.uk/~skinbase/Annotated_anatomy_of_the_mouse_vibrissa/vibrissa_labelled.jpg In harbor seals, the structure of the vibrissal shaft is undulated (wavy) and flattened. This specialization is also found in most true seals. In contrast, the whiskers of the California sea lion are circular or elliptical in cross-section and are smooth. microvibrissa nasal hair vibrissa unit