This is why the Euler spiral can be used to describe all types of rat whiskers, even though they come in many different shapes. Some are s-shaped, some get more curly towards the tip, and some get ...

Rats have up to 70 whiskers on their faces, varying hugely in size, and shape. Almost every mammal possesses whiskers, but these rodents are what we call “whisker specialists,” meaning they ...

Given how rat whiskers follow the Euler spiral, and that spirals are so common in nature, we think there's a good chance the whiskers of other mammals probably follow similar rules and may also be ...

The whiskers all have different lengths and shapes, and their distribution is such that each whisker is represented as an interval on the Euler spiral. The researchers conjecture that this ...

Euler spiral of rat whiskers Courtesy of Dr Eugene Starostin, London South Bank University/University College London. Most natural structures don’t display all of these three shapes.

Given how rat whiskers follow the Euler spiral, and that spirals are so common in nature, we think there’s a good chance the whiskers of other mammals probably follow similar rules and may also be ...

Euler spiral of rat whiskers. Courtesy of Dr Eugene Starostin, London South Bank University/University College London. Most natural structures don’t display all of these three shapes.