Vibrissae

Vibrissae: The formal word for whiskers. Its etymology reflects the function of these facial hairs or feathers and is shared with vibrate and vibrato.

The overhung upper jaw, fronted by an array of huge fangs and flanked by two tusks, behind which - horribly - hung hundreds of narrow, razor-sharp tendrils, like the vibrassae of a walrus.

A Book for Today: Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child