Pete the Vet: Wonderful whiskers are animals' sixth sense 

Pete the Vet: Whiskers are denser, tougher and less flexible than normal hairs. They are more like fishing rods when compared with the softer, rope-like structure of hairs. They tend to be longer than surrounding hairs, protruding from the skin surface.

Like human males, animals have facial hair, but they have a special tweak: some of these hairs have become specialised, with a new shape, structure and innervation. Whiskers are found across the animal world, with variations across the species, but with certain universal characteristics.

Whiskers are denser, tougher and less flexible than normal hairs. They are more like fishing rods when compared with the softer, rope-like structure of hairs. They tend to be longer than surrounding hairs, protruding from the skin surface.