• Sharebar

All living animals emit electrical charges (albeit, most only give off weak ones) during routine muscle movement. However, only a distinct group of (mostly aquatic) animals have a precise sixth-sense that allow them to both detect these electrical charges and (in some cases) physically produce electricity.

But it’s not just a fancy party trick. Much how we humans rely on home energy to live our lives productively, these animals rely on their electroreception – biological ability to produce and/or sense electrical impulses – for everything from hunting prey to fending-off attackers and even navigation. This “super-charged” group of animals includes:

Peters’ Elephantnose Fish:

Indigenous to the muddy, slow-moving rivers of western and central Africa, these dark-hued funky fish are aptly named. Boasting a trunk-like protrusion from the head (which unlike on an elephant, is actually more mouth than nose), this unique creature has notably poor eye-sight. But as the saying goes, that which does not kill makes stronger. Instead of seeking out lunch visually, these creative little insect predators instead use their more acutely developed senses.

Elephantnose fish are equipped with a special electricity-producing organ, located on the tail, which is made up of thousands of “box-like multi-nucleated cells” called electroplax (or electroplaques). According to WetWebMedia.com, in a resting state, each electroplax cell has a negative charge on the inside and a positive charge on the outside. When the organ is stimulated through muscle contraction, the internal/external charges are reversed, creating a weak electrical current. In doing so, the elephantfish is thusly able to detect varying levels of distortion within the self-produced field and can then distinguish between lingering-predators and burrowed-prey. [1]

Hammerhead Sharks (active electroreception):

With hundreds of thousands of their own electrorecptor organs (called Ampullae of Lorenzini) inside their bodies, sharks boast the greatest electrical sensitivity –able to detect a signal of half a billionth of a volt – of any other animal. And thanks to their wider surface area, hammerhead sharks specifically – which swim (warmer) seas across the globe – are able to use their electroreception organs to locate prey even more effectively.

Comprised of jelly-filled canals that open up as pores (and appear like dark spots on the surface), ampullae detect electrical fields produced by other underwater inhabitants, allowing hammerheads to scan the sand and dig-up dinner from the ocean floor.

Hammerheads are also said to use their internal detection-devices as a GPS of sorts, helping to orient themselves by detecting the ocean currents moving within the Earth’s magnetic field. [2]


Electric Eel:

Most commonly found in the waters of South America, electric eels produce more electricity than any other animal in the world. With 5,000 – 6,000 stacked electroplax, these sea snakes are capable of shocking their victims with a 500-watt voltage! What’s more, studies show they can produce intermittent shock without tiring for an hour. That amount of electricity could easily prove deadly for the average-sized adult human.

However, part of what makes the electric eel so unique is its ability to control the intensity of their shocks. These high-voltage fish – contrary to popular belief and their moniker, electric eels are not actually classified as eels, but rather as knifefish – utilize their milder, self-generated jolts to catch grub and save the high-intensity juice to ensure they don’t become another sea animals main course.

The video below shows how one creative Japanese aquarium channeled this naturally produced energy to help spread a little holiday cheer. [3]

Electric Ray:

Like the electric eel, this flat, cartilaginous sea animal is also capable of controlling the voltage in each jarring electrical charge.  The ray’s electricity-producing organs are located on both sides of its head and together put out anywhere from eight to 220 volts, similarly saving the bigger watt-wallops for self-defense while using the lighter-but-still-debilitating shocks to stun their prey.

There are 69 ray species in four families, with the most notable – Torpedo genus – named after the Latin word “torpere,” meaning to cause to stiffen or paralyze. That’s one way to describe what can happen should a person accidentally encounter the unassuming, practically blind yet incredibly dangerous electric ray. Here’s another: the electric shock generated by an average-sized ray is similar to the damaging effects of dropping a hair dryer into a bathtub. [4]


Platypus:

Don’t be fooled by the adorably sweet caricatured depictions of this part-land, part-sea being. Contrary to the (slightly) kinder pond-dawdling ducks they resemble, platypuses are a force to be reckoned with.

Members of the uber-exclusive monotremes,  they are egg-laying, venomous mammals native to Eastern Australia. They boast duck-like bills, beaver-like tails and otter-like feet. One of few known mammals capable of electroreception, platypuses use their bills, which studies show house roughly 40,000 electroreceptors, to locate prey.

It is believed that platypuses can also differentiate the direction of electrical signals by comparing differences in signal strength. This is thought to be the reason why, while hunting prey, platypuses continuously move their heads from side-to-side as seen in the video below. [5]

Echidnas:

Also card-carrying members of the monotreme order, these spiny animals (think cross between porcupine and anteater) have elongated snouts that function as both a mouth and nose. It is these same snouts that also send out electrical signals that help them find insects to devour.

The echidna’s electroreceptive system is less complex than that of the platypuses, with only 2,000 electroplax in the long-snouted and only 400 in the short-snouted. Their electroreception proves useful despite them being full-time land animals because of their continuously wet snouts and the wet tropical areas they call home. It is far easier to conduct electricity in water than on terrain, which is why most of the animals with electroreception are primarily aquatic. Still, scientists believe these electroreceptors are being “selected against” because terrestrial echidnas rely far less on electroreception to find food than their aquatic counterparts. [6]

Olm:

Unlike most amphibians, this pigment-starved, elongated salamander is 100% aquatic – it eats, sleeps and breeds underwater. And because this cave-dwelling Southern European olm is completely blind, its ability to feed relies completely on its more developed senses, including its electrosensitive sense.

The electroreceptive, or ampullary, organs found atop their heads allow the olms to register the weak electric fields put out by their prey. According to EdgeofExistence.org, experiments also conclude olms may be able to use Earth’s magnetic field to help orient themselves within their surroundings. [7]

Electric Skate:

With flattened heads that make them look very much like rays and miniature shark-esque elongated tails, these sluggish creatures spend most of their time on the (cold-water) ocean floor, using their electrosense ability to pick up weak electrical fields put out by the shrimp, snails and clams they relish. Their mouths are located on the underside of their bodies, making it easier to feast on the grounded crustaceans.

There are over 100 different known species of skates, each developed with bilateral organs along the tail that produce an intermittent electric shock. The intensity of shock varies from species to species, but generally speaking, skate-stuns rank on the lower end of the voltage spectrum. (They are however blessed with endurance, allowing them to hold the shock for quite a while.)

Though skates rely on their self-produced electricity to fight off predators, they also utilize it as a way to recognize and communicate with one another. [8]

Electric Catfish (Africa):

This freshwater catfish, native to the tropical waters of Africa, can grow to a whopping 44 pounds! But put down your fishing rod, these frighteningly charged super-fish are not going to go down without a fight.

With the ability to generate up to 350 volts of electricity – that’s roughly the same amount needed to power a computer for 45 minutes – these fish are better equipped to ward off predators than almost any other animal. Made up of modified muscle tissue, their electric organ forms a gelatinous layer just underneath the catfish’s skin. Still up for the challenge of catching one of world’s most electrifying animals? Rest assured catfish shocks have not proven deadly to humans (yet).

Modern civilizations rely on the power of electricity to complete even the most minute of tasks. We live in an era where from the moment we wake up to the second we turn in, we use (and so often abuse) electricity. And while some could try and argue human reliance on electricity has become as necessary to existence as food, water and shelter, we are innately equipped to survive life unplugged. (Sure, a strong case could be made about the survival rate of people who live entirely off microwaveable TV dinners, but when it comes down to it, even the most standard appliances are merely modern-day luxuries.) These animals actually require their sharpened senses to detect and protect. Without these inbred skills, they simply wouldn’t be able to hack it in the wild animal kingdom. And here you probably thought reverting to a life without iPods would be a death sentence. [9]


1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peters’_elephantnose_fish
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerhead_shark
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_eel
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_ray
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platypus
6. ttp://academic.reed.edu/biology/professors/srenn/pages/teaching/web_2007/myp_site/phylogeny.html
7. http://academic.reed.edu/biology/professors/srenn/pages/teaching/web_2007/myp_site/phylogeny.html
8. http://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/skate-and-ray-info.htm
9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_catfish