Summary
The structure of the snout and tactile hair system of the common shrew (Sorex araneus) and the distribution of cholinesterase and alkaline phosphatase activity were studied. The structure of the vibrissae is exceptional compared with that of other mammals studied. Differences are the attachment system of hair follicle to the capsule, the impossibility of dividing the blood sinus clearly into cavernous sinus and ring sinus, the lack of continuous ring-wulst, clear constriction in the outer root sheath at the neck of hair follicle and some specialized structures connected with this. Alkaline phosphatase was not found in the nervous structures of the vibrissae but cholinesterase activity occurs at least in two different structures upon or in the outer root sheath of the hair follicle. The role of these structures and the significance of vibrissae to the shrew is discussed.
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Hyvärinen, H. On the histology and histochemistry of the snout and vibrissae of the common shrew (Sorex araneus L.). Z. Zellforsch. 124, 445–453 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335250
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00335250