A mouse has movable whiskers on each side of its nose. Whiskers are more than twice as thick as ordinary hairs. Whisker roots are deeper than hair roots. Richly supplied with nerve endings, whiskers give mice information about air movements, air pressure, food and anything they touch. Whiskers are extremely sensitive because they are closely connected to the nervous system.

     The scientific word for whiskers is vibrissae. Vibrissae are receptive to vibrations in air currents. Whiskers vibrate as the air moves. Mice get messages from these vibrations to sense the presence, size, and shape of anything without seeing or touching it. Mice seem to be moving their whiskers most of the time. Mice have poor eye sight so their whiskers help to protect them.