Why do Dogs Have Whiskers?

For humans, touch is a sense most often associated with the fingers.

But man’s best friend, the dog, touches the world a different way — with his face.

Whiskers, or vibrissae, are long, coarse hairs protruding from a dog’s muzzle, jaw and above its eyes.

The follicles at the base of these hairs are packed with nerves that send sensory messages to a dog’s brain.

Highly sensitive to subtle changes in air currents, canine whiskers serve as receptors for important information about the size, shape and speed of nearby objects.

This helps dogs — for whom vision is not the most highly evolved trait — “see” objects more clearly, even in the dark. Being able to feel vibrations in the air also helps dogs sense approaching dangers.

Some dog breeds have also been known to use their whiskers in the same way that many smaller mammals do: to determine whether…