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The Better to See You With

For years, scientists have wondered how Manatees can navigate the often murky waters they live in... How they can sense the presence of other manatees or humans who venture too close. Now, some scientists including Roger Reep, say they've found whisker like hairs all over manatee bodies, which seem to send information about minute changes in water flow...

New research shows that manatees have the equivalent of whiskers all over their bodies. And that these might help them navigate by sensing movement in the water. Roger Reep--lead author of the latest work--says the manatee hairs are similar to other animals' whiskers...

Manatees might have changed very little in their time on earth, still resembling our idea of many prehistoric creatures. But scientists say one way the marine mammals might have evolved, is in their use of whisker-like hairs as sensors. Roger Reep is a manatee researcher...

Boaters and Manatee perspective

New research shows manatees sense moveent in the water through whisker-like hairs all 'round their bodies. But will understanding that help avoid the many manatee deaths that come from being struck by boats? Not likely says manatee researcher Roger Reep...

Manatees and continued research

New research that shows manatees sense movement in the water via whisker-like hairs, actually got its start in the late 1960s. Researcher Roger Reep is lead author of the new study on manatees and their tactile hairs. He says an early Florida manatee researcher wondered how the creatures were able to move together, even with their eyes closed...