Behaviorally measured tactile sensitivity in the common bottlenose dolphin,Tursiops truncatus

Little research has been conducted on the somatosensory system of toothed whales and it remains uncertain how tactile sensitivity varies about their bodies. In this study, tactile sensitivity to high‐frequency (250‐Hz) displacement of the skin was quantified in three trained adult common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) using a vibratory device (tactor). The magnitude of skin displacement was controlled by varying the voltage to the...