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Detection of hydrodynamic stimuli by the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

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Abstract

Florida manatees inhabit the coastal and inland waters of the peninsular state. They have little difficulty navigating the turbid waterways, which often contain obstacles that they must circumnavigate. Anatomical and behavioral research suggests that the vibrissae and associated follicle–sinus complexes that manatees possess over their entire body form a sensory array system for detecting hydrodynamic stimuli analogous to the lateral line system of fish. This is consistent with data highlighting that manatees are tactile specialists, evidenced by their specialized facial morphology and use of their vibrissae during feeding and active investigation/manipulation of objects. Two Florida manatees were tested in a go/no-go procedure using a staircase method to assess their ability to detect low-frequency water movement. Hydrodynamic vibrations were created by a sinusoidally oscillating sphere that generated a dipole field at frequencies from 5 to 150 Hz, which are below the apparent functional hearing limit of the manatee. The manatees detected particle displacement of less than 1 μm for frequencies of 15–150 Hz and of less than a nanometer at 150 Hz. Restricting the facial vibrissae with various size mesh openings indicated that the specialized sensory hairs played an important role in the manatee’s exquisite tactile sensitivity.

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Abbreviations

BLH:

Bristle-like hair

f:

Frequency (Hz)

FA:

False alarm

FSC:

Follicle–sinus complex

MAR:

Minimum angle of resolution

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Permit MA837923-6/7); the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine—Aquatic Animal Health Program; Mote Marine Laboratory staff, interns, volunteers, especially trainer Jann Warfield, that assisted with this research; Guido Dehnhardt and Wolf Hanke for their expertise and equipment loan during training; Ronnie and John Enander; the Thurell family; New College of Florida students; Peg Scripps Buzzelli Chair, New College Foundation. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (IOS-0920022/0919975/0920117). All experimental procedures were approved by the Mote Marine Laboratory IACUC prior to implementation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

    Joseph C. Gaspard III, Gordon B. Bauer, Kimberly Dziuk, LaToshia Read & David A. Mann

  2. Aquatic Animal Health Program, Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    Joseph C. Gaspard III & Roger L. Reep

  3. Division of Social Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL, 34243, USA

    Gordon B. Bauer

  4. College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    David A. Mann

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  1. Joseph C. Gaspard III
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  2. Gordon B. Bauer
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Correspondence to Joseph C. Gaspard III.

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Gaspard, J.C., Bauer, G.B., Reep, R.L. et al. Detection of hydrodynamic stimuli by the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris). J Comp Physiol A 199, 441–450 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0822-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-013-0822-x

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