Animal Senses #11: Electricity
Electricity. Species like the electric eel use it. But for humans to understand them, they had to first discover and learn about the concept of electricity, explains Ed Yong in Immense World ! In fact, the study of electric fish is intertwined with the study of electricity. They inspired the design of the first synthetic battery. And fuelled the discovery that muscles and nerves run on electrical currents. The electric organ on the fish’s tail is like a small battery. It creates an electric field around the animal. Current flows from one end of the organ, through the water, to the other end. All living things nearby act as conductors and increase the flow of current, while insulators (like rocks) reduce the flow of current. These changes affect the voltage on different parts of the fish’s skin. To draw an analogy with our sense of vision: “Conductors shine brightly… insulators cast electric shadows.” Electric fishes use electricity for locating things. But, unli...