Anatomy of the sense of touch in sea otters: Cutaneous mechanoreceptors and structural features of glabrous skin.
Enhydra lutris
Merkel cell
Pacinian corpuscle
integument
mechanoreceptor distribution
Journal
Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)
ISSN: 1932-8494
Titre abrégé: Anat Rec (Hoboken)
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101292775
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
03 2022
03 2022
Historique:
revised:
06
05
2021
received:
27
02
2021
accepted:
27
05
2021
pubmed:
24
8
2021
medline:
29
4
2022
entrez:
23
8
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) demonstrate rapid, accurate tactile abilities using their paws and facial vibrissae. Anatomical investigations of neural organization in the vibrissal bed and somatosensory cortex coincide with measured sensitivity, but no studies describe sensory receptors in the paws or other regions of glabrous (i.e., hairless) skin. In this study, we use histology to assess the presence, density, and distribution of mechanoreceptors in the glabrous skin of sea otters: paws, rhinarium, lips, and flipper digits, and we use scanning electron microscopy to describe skin-surface texture and its potential effect on the transduction of mechanical stimuli. Our results confirm the presence of Merkel cells and Pacinian corpuscles, but not Meissner corpuscles, in all sea otter glabrous skin. The paws showed the highest density of Merkel cells and Pacinian corpuscles. Within the paw, relative densities of mechanoreceptor types were highest in the distal metacarpal pad and digits, which suggests that the distal paw is a tactile fovea for sea otters. In addition to the highest receptor density, the paw displayed the thickest epidermis. Rete ridges (epidermal projections into the dermis) and dermal papillae (dermal projections into the epidermis) were developed across all glabrous skin. These quantitative and qualitative descriptions of neural organization and physical features, combined with previous behavioral results, contribute to our understanding of how structure relates to function in the tactile modality. Our findings coincide with behavioral observations of sea otters, which use touch to maintain thermoregulatory integrity of their fur, explore objects, and capture visually cryptic prey.
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
535-555Informations de copyright
© 2021 American Association for Anatomy.
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