Mammalian tactile hair: divergence from a limited distribution

Mammalian species use tactile hairs to address a variety of perceptual challenges in detecting and responding appropriately to environmental stimuli. With a wide range of functional roles that range from object detection, to fine texture discrimination, to hydrodynamic trail perception, tactile hairs have been adapted for a variety of environmental niches to enhance survival through optimizing detection of somatosensory cues. Because the high level of innervation associated with tactile hairs requires a commensurately high dedication of neural resources, their distribution is restricted to specific regions of the body that encounter stimuli of interest--commonly, the face. However, several species--namely bats, naked mole-rats, hyraxes, manatees, and dugongs--are rare exceptions, with tactile hair distribution that has expanded to cover the entire body. This review examines the behavioral advantages conferred by this unusual trait, the neuroanatomical adaptations that accompany it, and how this pattern might have evolved.