Seals 'see' with their whiskers - study shows

Seals are able to "see" prey even in total darkness.

Details

A study has shown that seals don't just sense water with their whiskers, but actively move them to better pick up tracks from moving objects.

When the whiskers point forward, they become more sensitive, but require more energy. That's why seals use balance: they keep their whiskers in a certain position and move them rhythmically.

Scientists created an artificial model of a moustache with "muscles" to test this mechanism.

The experiment confirmed that the movement of the whiskers helps them to better pick up weak water fluctuations and more accurately follow the "trail" of prey.

Why it matters

The findings could be used to create new sensors and robots.

The scientists note:

• robots will be able to navigate without cameras
• the technology can work underwater and in the dark
• such systems could be quieter and safer than sonar
• this will reduce the impact on marine animals

In the future, such sensors could also be used on land - for example, for navigation in difficult environments.

Background

Seals hunt in low visibility conditions, so have evolved sensitive whiskers that can pick up the slightest movement in the water.

The whiskers were previously known to play an important role, but the significance of their movement remained not fully understood.

Source

The study is based on experiments with an artificial model of whiskers, mimicking the movements of seal vibrissae, and analysing their sensitivity to water movements. The material is published in npj Flexible Electronics (2026).