In addition to their intense senses of sight, smell, and hearing, little mammals may have an additional method for identifying predators: heat-sensing guard hairs capable of choosing up the infrared radiation given off by warm bodies, a study suggests.” Predators such as cats and owls modify their habits while searching, perhaps to hide their heat signature from prospective prey.As part of his investigation, Baker put mouse hairs under a microscopic lense, and what he saw looked immediately familiar, he tells the Times. Particularly, the hairs contained evenly-spaced bands of pigment that, in a sensor, enable the instrument to focus onto specific wavelengths of light.Measuring the stripes supported the concept that, simply as with a thermal video camera, the hairs relatively tuned into the 10-micron wavelength of light, the heat signature provided off by lots of living things.
In addition to their intense senses of sight, odor, and hearing, little mammals might have an additional approach for spotting predators: heat-sensing guard hairs capable of selecting up the infrared radiation produced by warm bodies, a research study recommends.” Predators such as felines and owls alter their habits while searching, maybe to hide their heat signature from possible prey.As part of his investigation, Baker put mouse hairs under a microscopic lense, and what he saw looked immediately familiar, he informs the Times. Specifically, the hairs included evenly-spaced bands of pigment that, in a sensor, allow the instrument to focus onto specific wavelengths of light.Measuring the stripes supported the idea that, just as with a thermal cam, the hairs relatively tuned into the 10-micron wavelength of light, the heat signature provided off by many living things.