How do fish make electricity
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Nearly 350 species of fish can generate and detect electrical signals, which they use to communicate, navigate, find prey, and sometimes stun prey. Eleanor Nelsen's video explains how electric fish produce electricity through specialized electrocytes cells and use it for various purposes like hunting. The black ghost knifefish is classified as a strongly electric fish and electric eels can have up to three electric organs. Weakly electric fish cannot immobilize prey like strongly electric fish can through muscle contractions or overstimulating the retina.
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How do fish make electricity
- 1. How do fish make electricity? - Eleanor Nelsen https://youtu.be/z0M7_HPSi14 Nearly 350 species of fish have specialized anatomical structures that generate and detect electrical signals. Underwater, where light is scarce, electrical signals offer ways to communicate, navigate, find, and sometimes stun prey. But how do these fishproduce electricity? And why? Eleanor Nelsen illuminates the science behind electric fish. 1.- Which of these species is classified as a strongly electric fish? APeters' elephantnose fish BAnglerfish CElectric catfish DBlack ghost knifefish 2.- Electric fish use specialized cells to produce electricity. What are these called? ACnidocytes BBattery cells CSachs' organ DElectrocytes 3.- How many electric organs do electric eels have? A3 B5 C2 D1 4.- Which of these is not possible for weakly electric fish? AUsing electrical signals to communicate
- 2. BUsing electrical signals to navigate CFinding hidden prey DImmobilizing their prey 5.- How do the pulses generated by an electric eel affect its prey? ADestroy nerve endings BCause muscle contractions COverstimulate the retina, causing blindness DCreate lesions on the brain stem 6.- Explain, step by step, how an electrical current is generated in the electrocytes. 7.- What is one way the electric eel can increase the intensity of the electric charge it delivers to its prey? 8.- What is the function of the schnauzenorgan in the Peters' elephantnose fish? Vanderbilt professor and electric-eel expert Ken Catania was curious to see if he could confirm von Humboldt’s account of the leaping eels, so he set out to replicate the experiment. He determined that electric eels would, in fact, throw themselves out of the water to attack a perceived threat, suggesting that Humboldt’s story was likely true. Catania even got video footage of an eel leaping at a fake human arm. You can also read more on Catania’s work demonstrating that electric eels “remote-control” their prey. Electrocytes are modified muscle. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have studied the genetics behind the transition from muscle cells to electricity- producing cells, and discovered that this remarkable ability evolved six different times. Centuries before the invention of anesthesia or modern painkillers, physicians who happened to live near the habitats of strongly electric fish employed their shocks as analgesia. The Romans used the electric torpedo ray to treat headaches and gout, and the Greeks used them during childbirth (in fact, the English word “narcotic” is derived from narke, the Greek word for these rays).
- 3. DISCUSS There’s much less light in underwater environments. Electric signals provide a way for fish to communicate, navigate, and hunt. What are some other strategies that might be useful in dim light?