Why Do Cats and Dogs Have Whiskers?
4/30/20267 min
In this episode, we learn that an animal's whiskers help sense touch, nearby objects, tiny air movements, and the space around their faces!
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJosh· Host0:00
Why do dogs and cats have whiskers? [upbeat music] Hi, welcome to Curious Kids Everyday. I'm Josh. How are you doing today? It's so good to hear from you. Hey, have you ever noticed the whiskers that cats have? [cat meowing] If they graze your hand or arm, those whiskers can tickle. [laughs] [cat meowing] Have you noticed that dogs have those same whiskers, too? [dog barking] I've always kind of thought about them like they're a mustache, but I know that's not right. Dogs and cats can't grow mustaches like I can. Is there a reason for their whiskers? What's the point? I was thinking about this today because I got an email from a curious kid named Laney. Laney wondered, "Why do cats and dogs have whiskers?" [cat meowing] [dog barking] The scientific term for an animal's whiskers is vibrissa. We'll just call them whiskers today, though. [upbeat music] [cat meowing] Cats and dogs use whiskers to gather information about the world around them. A regular hair mostly just grows out of the skin,