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Electric fish charges up research on animal behavior
Science NationAn electric eel can generate enough current to stun its prey, just like a Taser. Weakly electric fish can also generate electricity but not enough to do any harm. "Weakly electric fish are unique in that they produce and detect electric fields. They use these electric fields in social communication and to detect objects," explains Johns Hopkins University neuroethologist Eric Fortune. Fortune has traveled to Ecuador to study weakly electric knifefish in their native habitat, even placing acoustical instruments underwater so he could listen to and record their electrical hums. Researchers are studying the knifefish to learn more about how the brains of animals work to control their behavior.
Credit: National Science Foundation
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