Collaborative Research: Manatee Vibrissae-a Mammalian Lateral Line?

濒临灭绝的佛罗里达海牛具有许多不同寻常的解剖和行为适应性，这与它们作为哺乳动物水生食草动物的独特角色有关。其中最主要的是全身都有感觉毛，而在大多数哺乳动物中，这些毛只以面部胡须的形式存在。目前的研究使用莫特海洋实验室的两只圈养海牛来评估这种特殊毛发系统的能力，该系统可以探测与其他移动动物、河流和潮汐有关的水上振动，所有这些都是可能用于导航的线索。这项研究不仅涉及到海牛的正常行为，还涉及到它们探测和躲避船只的能力。这两只动物已经接受了一系列相关任务的训练，并且能够报告是否检测到刺激的行为。这将有可能确定动物能够响应的频率和振幅的范围，以及它们定向定位能力的程度。它也将有可能发现身体的某些部位是否比其他部位更敏感。佛罗里达大学将对死后的大脑进行解剖实验，以绘制调节这些能力的神经连接。这项工作利用特殊的荧光示踪剂，在几个月的时间里通过扩散沿着神经纤维传播。此外，这个项目的一个重要部分包括与莫特、新学院、南佛罗里达大学和佛罗里达大学的学生和教师进行教育互动。

Endangered Florida manatees have a number of unusual anatomical and behavioral adaptations related to their unique role as mammalian aquatic herbivores. Chief among these is the presence of sensory hairs over the entire body, whereas in most mammals these are only present as facial whiskers. The present research uses two captive manatees at Mote Marine Laboratory to assess the ability of this system of specialized hairs to detect water-borne vibrations associated with other moving animals, river currents, and tidal flows, all of which are cues likely to be used in navigation. This research relates not only to the normal behavior of manatees, but also to their ability to detect and avoid approaching boats. These two animals have been trained on a number of related tasks and are able to report behaviorally whether a stimulus has been detected. It will be possible to determine the range of frequencies and amplitudes to which the animals are capable of responding, and their degree of directional localization ability. It will also be possible to discover whether certain portions of the body are more sensitive than others. Anatomical experiments on postmortem brains will be performed at the University of Florida to map the neural connections that mediate these abilities. This work utilizes special fluorescent tracers that travel down nerve fibers by diffusion over a period of several months. In addition, a significant portion of this project includes educational interactions with students and teachers at Mote, New College, the University of South Florida, and the University of Florida.