Some Mammals May Use Specialized Hairs to Detect Predators’ Heat

When observed under a microscope, guard hairs from mice resemble optical sensors used in thermal cameras to detect heat, according to a new study.

amanda heidt
| 2 min read
A microscope image of mouse fur

Two hair types from Mus musculus showing characteristic banding indicative of an infrared function. The small hairs are so-called zigzag hairs, and the large one is the widest part of a spear-shaped guard hair.

R soc open sci, 8:210740, 2021.

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In addition to their acute senses of smell, hearing, and sight, small mammals may have an additional method for detecting predators: heat-sensing guard hairs capable of picking up the infrared radiation emitted by warm bodies, a study suggests. The new research, published last week (December 8) in Royal Society Open Science, builds on a body of unpublished evidence collected not by a biologist, but by a physicist, Ian Baker, who develops infrared sensors for a British defense company.

Baker has long brought his work home with him, he tells The New York Times, using infrared cameras containing his sensors to scan the fields and woods near his house in Southampton, England, for animals. for animals. A series of anecdotal observations—such as the fact that cats seem to “stack” their bodies behind their cold nose when hunting, along with a similar twisting behavior in swooping owls—led Baker to hypothesize that perhaps ...

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Meet the Author

  • amanda heidt

    Amanda Heidt

    Amanda was an associate editor at The Scientist, where she oversaw the Scientist to Watch, Foundations, and Short Lit columns. When not editing, she produced original reporting for the magazine and website. Amanda has a master's in marine science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and a master's in science communication from UC Santa Cruz.
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