What electric eels are not used for. Stingray and eel: comparing live electrical transmitters

According to the results experimental research it turned out that many fish can emit electrical discharges that are captured only by special sensitive devices. Such discharges are important in the behavior of fish, especially schooling ones. But special power generating organs capable of creating electric fields with noticeable tension, noted in only about 250 species (according to Wikipedia). Electric eel is one of the few species that creates very powerful discharge, which can cause a serious electric shock to a person and even kill him. These eels, just like electric catfish and, use this ability to hunt and defend against enemies.

Electric blackhead secret and other features

The main secret behind the name electric eel is that these fish have nothing to do with real eels, except external similarity due to the very long serpentine body shape. The scientific name for this species is Electrophorus electricus. In the fish system, he is in the order of Gymnotiformes, which in the old editions of the book "The Life of Animals" was a suborder of the order of Carps. One of the 4 families in this group is the Electric eel family, which includes a single genus with one species due to its exceptional uniqueness.

Scope and lifestyle

These thermophilic fish are common in the basins of major South American rivers (Orinoco and Amazon). They prefer shallow, weakly flowing or standing, overgrown with vegetation, often silted up reservoirs (lakes, oxbows, ponds). The water in such bodies of water is usually muddy and dirty.

Such conditions are characterized by a sharp lack of oxygen dissolved in water. Therefore, nature has taken care of the possibility of obtaining an additional amount of oxygen by eels from atmospheric air.

For this purpose, in his oral cavity there are special areas of vascular tissue, penetrated large quantity blood vessels which function like a supragillary organ. In these areas, the blood is saturated with oxygen, that is, they act like lungs.

Breath

During the day, an electric eel usually lies at the bottom of its reservoir, but periodically rises to the surface of the water and, sticking out its wide mouth, draws in a certain amount of air. He does this quite noisily and immediately submerges under the water again. Exhaled air comes out through the gill slits. Thanks to such clearly audible breathing, local natives can easily recognize the presence of fish.

Swallow a new portion fresh air acne should be at a constant frequency of 15 minutes, but in reality they do it more often. Deprived of the opportunity to rise to the surface of the water for air, eels die.

Provided that the mouth and body are kept moist unique fish an electric eel is able to be out of water for several hours without harm to its health. This feature ensures their survival in those unfavorable conditions where they live.

External appearance and internal structure

Electrophorus electricus is a very large fish, reaching lengths of up to two and a half meters or more. The largest weight is 20 kilograms. (Some sources give a figure of 40 kilograms, but we are guided by the information on the fishbase site.) The usual length of adult fish is from 1 to 1.5 meters.

Description of appearance:

• The body is very long, rounded in cross section behind the head and passing into a compressed one on the sides in the tail.
• Half of the dorsal and ventral fins are missing.
• The pectoral fins are very small, acting as stabilizers during movement.
• The anal fin is unusually developed. It is long: it has about 350 rays; begins almost immediately behind the pectoral fins (behind the anus) and extends to the tip of the tail.
• Thick skin covered with mucus, naked, devoid of scales, covers not only the body, but also the fins.
• The eyes appear very small in relation to the body and are closer to the crown of the head, due to which the visual focus is directed upward. They are blue in color.
• The wide mouth is very large; it contains small teeth arranged in two rows. Their task is limited only to a firm grip and retention of prey. They are not suitable for chewing, so the eel swallows its food whole.

All these features of appearance are very clearly visible in the photo. electric eel.

Camouflage color and swimming methods

Electrophorus electricus has a typical camouflage body color: adults are olive-brown with a brown tint, only the head below and in the area of ​​the gill covers are orange. The anal fin is colored in the same way as the entire body, only its edge may have a whitish edging. Young fish are colored slightly lighter with an ocher tint.

The main driver of this amazing fish is an unusually long anal fin covered with soft skin. Located along the entire belly, it looks a bit like the keel of a ship. It is assisted by short pectoral fins.

Making undulating movements with the anal fin and stabilizing the position of the trunk with the pectorals, he can swim straight or slightly arched. To the observer, it looks incredibly beautiful. If necessary, the electric eel deftly and quickly changes the direction of its path, without turning its whole body. It simply begins to swim backward with its tail due to the change in the direction of the undulating oscillation of its anal fin.

Generating electrical discharges

The generation of very high voltage electrical discharges is the main unique ability electric eels, which has been the subject of scientific research for many years. It was possible to find out that the electric organ is paired oblong bodies located immediately under the thick skin and occupying 80% of the length of the entire body. They run along the entire spine, there are two pairs. As Brehm writes in the book "The Life of Animals", by consistency these formations are gelatinous in the form of a soft translucent mass, reddish - yellow color... Their weight is 30 percent of the total weight of the fish.

A curious property of the mucus that abundantly covers the skin of an eel: its electrical conductivity is almost 30 times higher than that of pure water(from Brehm's book "The Life of Animals").

In fact, the electric organ of the Electrophorus electricus is an original living battery, in which the minus corresponds to the back of the body, and the plus to the front. Generated by such a huge battery electrical discharge, can have voltages up to 600 volts and higher (in very large individuals), usually about 350 volts. Therefore, scientists classify the eel as a highly electric fish, and in this list it takes 1st place.

Based on the design of the Electrophorus electricus energy-generating bodies, chemists and engineers (University of Michigan, USA) have created a biocompatible battery that is flexible enough for successful implantation into living organisms as a power source for motorized implants. Batteries proposed so far have not been biocompatible.

The created discharges are used for several purposes: protection, hunting, orientation in space and notifying individuals of their own species about their presence. Each goal is achieved using discharges of various sizes - either weak or strong.

Food and protection from enemies

Electric eels are predators with few enemies in their natural environment. The juveniles eat invertebrates. Adults will eat any creature that they can detect and grasp. All aquatic inhabitants prefer not to approach them. Eels are not only a threat to fish that form the basis of their diet, but also to lizards, turtles, frogs and even small mammals.

Only caimans pose a serious danger to the eels themselves. With young and inexperienced caimans, they cope with the help of a good electrical discharge, having received which the reptile retreats. But an adult large black caiman can sometimes catch and eat an electric fish, remaining resistant to the resulting discharge.

In a cloudy and dirty water where acne lives, vision is not an important tool for gaining information about what is around, and for finding food, too. Therefore, it is poorly developed in them, and as they grow up, as scientists assume, it becomes worse.

Hunting with the use of remote electric shock

The Electric Eel uses a unique hunting strategy using its electrical discharges, which are of three types:

• Low-voltage pulses (for orienting fish in the surrounding area of ​​turbid water).
• A series of two or three high-voltage pulses of short duration (fractions of milliseconds).
• A long-term sequence of high-voltage discharges.

These conclusions were made by zoologist Kenneth Catania (USA, Vanderbilt University) based on laboratory observations of electric eels kept in an aquarium with special equipment.

Hunting strategy

Eels hunt at night, and the hunting strategy consists of two stages:

• To find hidden prey, they launch a short series of two to three high voltage pulses in all directions. The muscles of the fish that have received such a discharge begin to contract, and it twitches, causing the water to vibrate with the movement of its body. This is enough for the eel, it immediately understands in which direction the prey is and swims there.
• When directly attacking a detected victim, an electric eel sends a multi-voltage discharge (350 and up to 600 volts) at a high frequency towards it, which immobilizes it. Until the prey is paralyzed and the electric shock has not passed, the eel quickly grabs it and swallows it whole.

To immobilize the eel prey detected with the help of short high-voltage discharges, a remote electric shock is used, sending about 400 high-voltage pulses per second. Essentially, they control the muscles of their victims, ordering them to start moving or stop.

Many readers of the site about animals, the site know that there are fish that have the ability to be electrocuted (in the literal sense), but not everyone knows how this is done. We propose to consider two of the most famous marine representatives that generate current: electric stingray and an electric eel. You will learn:

• is the current of these electric fish dangerous for humans;
• how the organs that generate electricity in stingray and eel are arranged;
• how stingrays and eels hunt and catch prey;
• how live fish are associated with the New Years holiday.

Electric stingray - living rechargeable battery

Electric rays are mostly small - from 50 to 60 cm, however, there are some individuals that reach a length of 2 m. Small representatives of these fish create an insignificant electric charge, and in turn large rays carry out discharges of 300 volts. The organs of an individual that produce current account for 1/6 of the body and are very developed. They are located on both sides - they take place between the fin of the chest and the head part, and can be viewed from the dorsal and abdominal parts.

The internal organs of fish, which generate electricity, have the following structure. A certain number of columns that make up the electrical plates and the bottom of the plate, like the entire organ, carries a negative charge, and the top is positively charged.

During the hunt, the stingray strikes the prey, grabbing it with fins, where the organs that produce electricity are located. During this process, an electrical charge is generated, and the prey is killed by the shock of electricity. The stingray bears similarities to a rechargeable battery... If he uses the charge in its entirety, then he will need several but then to "charge" again.

A ramp is safe without a charge, however, if it has a charge, then a person could be seriously injured by a strong electrical discharge... No fatal accidents have been identified, although someone who touched the slope may have low blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, and spasms, and swelling of local tissues may appear in the affected area. The stingray is inactive and mainly lives at the bottom, therefore, in order not to meet it in aquatic environment, you need to take care when in shallow water.

In the days of Ancient Rome, on the contrary, electrical discharges were recognized (and are now recognized in medicine) as health... It was believed that an electrical discharge could remove headache and relieve gout. Even today, on the shores of the Mediterranean, elderly people purposefully walk barefoot in shallow water to relieve rheumatism and gout with electric shocks.

Electric eel lit garlands on the Christmas tree

And now a note, although about fish, concerns such a holiday as New Year! It would seem like it is combined live fish and Christmas tree? That's how. Read on.

Most representatives of the electric eel group are 1 to 1.5 m long, but there are species that reach three meters. In such individuals, the impact force reaches 650 volts. People who are struck by electric shocks in water can lose consciousness and drown. Electric eel is one of the most dangerous representatives the Amazon River. The eel floats about every 2 minutes to fill the lungs with air. He is very aggressive. If you approach the eel at a distance of less than three meters, then he prefers not to take cover, but to immediately attack. Therefore, people who have seen the eel up close should quickly swim away as far as possible.

The organs of the eel responsible for the current have a similar structure to the organs of the stingray., but have a different arrangement. They represent two elongated shoots with an oblong appearance and make up 4/5 of the body of the eel as a whole and have a mass that takes up almost 1/3 of the body weight. The front of the eel is positively charged, and the back, respectively, is negative. In eels, vision decreases with old age, it is because of this that they strike their prey, emitting weak electric shocks. The eel does not attack its prey, it has a powerful enough charge to kill all small fish from an electric shock. The eel approaches its prey when it is already dead, grabs it by the head, and then swallows it.

Eels can often be seen in an aquarium, as they quickly get used to artificial conditions... Of course, keeping such fish at home is more difficult than. In order to expose their capabilities, a lamp is attached to the reservoir and the wires are lowered into the water. The light comes on during feeding. An experiment was carried out in Japan in 2010: a Christmas tree was lit using a current from an eel, which was in a special container and emitted current. Even an eel and its electric current can be beneficial if you channel the unique natural abilities of this fish in the right direction.

3.1 Least Concern :

Length from 1 to 3 m, weight up to 40 kg. The skin of the electric eel is bare, without scales; the body is strongly elongated, rounded in the front part and somewhat compressed from the sides in the back part. The color of adult electric eels is olive brown, the underside of the head and throat is bright orange, the edge of the anal fin is light, and the eyes are emerald green.

An interesting development in the electric eel in the oral cavity of special areas of vascular tissue, which allows it to assimilate oxygen directly from the atmospheric air. To capture a new portion of air, the eel must rise to the surface of the water at least once every fifteen minutes, but usually it does this a little more often. If the fish is deprived of this opportunity, then it will die. The ability of an electric eel to use atmospheric oxygen for breathing allows it to be out of water for several hours, but only if its body and oral cavity stay wet. This feature provides an increased survival rate of acne in adverse conditions.

Almost nothing is known about the multiplication of electric eels. Electric eels do well in captivity and are often used to decorate large public aquariums. This fish is dangerous if it comes into direct contact with it.

Interesting in the structure of electric acne is the electrical organs, which occupy more than 2/3 of the body length. It generates a discharge with a voltage of up to 1300 V and a current of up to 1 A. A positive charge is in the front of the body, a negative charge is in the back. Electric organs are used by eels to defend against enemies and to paralyze prey, which are mostly small fish. There is also an additional electrical organ that acts as a locator. It is not dangerous for a person, but it will be very painful if an electric shock occurs.

Notes (edit)

Links

Categories:

• Animals alphabetically
• Out of danger views
• Gymnos
• Electric fish
• Animals described in 1766
• Fish of South America

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See what "Electric Eel" is in other dictionaries:

electric eel- Electric eel. electric eel (Electrophorus electricus), a fish of the family of electric acne. Endemic to South America. The body is elongated (about 2 m), weighs up to 20 kg, there are no dorsal and pelvic fins. The coloration above is olive green with light ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "Latin America"

Fish of the order carp. The only species in the family. Has electrical organs occupying approx. 4/5 body length. Discharges up to 650 V (usually less). Length from 1 to 3 m, weighs up to 40 kg. In the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. Local fishing object. ... ... Big encyclopedic Dictionary

Fish of the order carp. The only species in the family. It has electrical organs that occupy about 4/5 of the body length. They give a discharge up to 650 V (usually less). Length from 1 to 3 m, weight up to 40 kg. Lives in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. Local object ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

ANTHEM OR ELECTRIC EEL bony fish from this. acne; water in America; has the ability to produce strong electr. blows. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. ANTEM or ELECTRIC EEL ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (Electrophorus electricus) fish of the Electrophoridae family of the carp order. Dwells in fresh waters Central and South America. The body is naked, up to 3 m long. Weighs up to 40 kg. Electric organs are located along the sides. Dorsal ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Fish neg. carps. unity. kind of family. Has electric. organs occupying approx. 4/5 body length. They give a discharge up to 650 V (usually less). L. from 1 to 3 m, weight up to 40 kg. Inhabits pp. Amazon and Orinoco. Local trade object. Lab. ... ... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

electric eel- elektrinis ungurys statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rusis atitikmenys: lot. Electrophorus electricus angl. electric eel rus. electric eel ryšiai: platesnis terminas - elektriniai unguriai… Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

See Electric Fish ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Electric catfish ... Wikipedia

ELECTRIC, electrical, electrical. 1.add. to electricity. Electricity. Electric Energy... Electric charge. Electric discharge. || Exciting, generating electricity. Electric car. Power station. ... ... Dictionary Ushakova

Books

• The spark of life. Electricity in the Human Body, Ashcroft Francis. Everyone knows that electricity drives machines, much less is known that the same can be said about ourselves. The ability to read and understand what is written, see and hear, think ...

The electric eel is the only member of the electrophore genus. A fish with a snake body is the very Electrophorus electricus. This fish lives in South America, giving preference to the predominantly murky waters of the Amazon and Orinoco. Electric eel is found in stagnant, shallow water with low oxygen content.

Electric eel description

Electric eel has a pretty big sizes – average length the body is 2-2.5 meters, and some individuals reach 3 meters.

Electric eels weigh about 40 kilograms. The shape of the body is serpentine and the body is slightly compressed on the sides. The head is flat.

It is noteworthy that the electric eel has no scales at all. The pectoral and caudal fins of the eel are very well developed, with their help the fish swims well and can move in different directions. The color is camouflage gray-brown, it helps when hunting. The head color may differ from the general color and have an orange tint.

Unique Feature of Electric Eel

The name emphasizes the uniqueness of this fish, it is capable of generating electricity. The body of an electric eel is covered with special cells that are connected by nerve channels.

At the very beginning of the body, the electrical discharge is weak, but towards the tail it becomes stronger. The current of the electric eel is deadly not only for small fish, but also for large opponents.

The power of the electrical impulse of this fish is on average 350 V. For humans, such an electric shock is not fatal, but it can deafen or cause loss of consciousness, so you should stay away from the electric eel.

The electric eel has a unique vascular tissue in its mouth, so it sometimes has to rise to the surface to take a breath of air. It can stay on the surface for more than 10 minutes, while no other species of fish stays in the air for more than 30 seconds.

Electric eel hunting

This predator attacks suddenly, it does not give in even to large prey. If there is any living creature near the eel, it shakes its body, as a result of which a charge is formed with a power of 300-350 V, which instantly kills the prey that is nearby, as a rule, it is a small fish.

When the paralyzed prey sinks to the bottom, the electric eel slowly approaches it and swallows it whole. After eating food, he rests for a few minutes, digesting it.

Breeding electric eels

Very little is known about the reproduction of these fish. Scientists still don't fully know life cycle electric eel. It is known that at a certain time eels swim away to hard-to-reach places, and they appear together with the grown-up offspring.

Some scientists believe that male electric eels make a nest from saliva, and the female lays eggs in this nest. About 17 thousand small fish emerge from one clutch. Individuals born first, most often eat the rest of the eggs from the clutch.

Science does not know how the fertilization process proceeds, where the young develop and what the babies eat. But it is clear that an electric eel with a body length of 10-12 centimeters is considered an adult.

Interesting facts about electric eels

The eyesight of these fish is extremely weak, it is believed that with age they are generally unable to see, and they are active mainly at night. They receive information about nearby obstacles using low-frequency wave locators;
Electric eel has nothing in common with common eel. The electric eel is a member of the ray finned fish class;
The electric eel has short teeth, so it does not chew food, but swallows it completely;
Predatory eels eat not only small fish, but also amphibians, birds, crustaceans and small mammals;
With the help of electric charges, individuals communicate with each other;
If you take a juvenile electric eel, you may feel a slight tingling sensation;
For the first time, information about these fish appeared in the 17th century. Then they were considered unknown creatures of the Antilles. But 100 years later, Alexander von Humboldt made a description of the electric eel.

The life of electric eels in the aquarium

Alas, the proximity of other eels and other fish species will not work, since the neighbors are unlikely to be able to tolerate the electrical discharges emitted by the eel. When an eel just swims, it emits 10-15 V discharges, which act as electric navigation, but when a victim approaches it, the signal strength becomes much stronger.

There is no need for aeration in the home of an electric eel. The water temperature should not drop below 25 degrees, the acidity is maintained within 7-8, and the hardness is 11-13 degrees. Electric eels do not tolerate frequent water changes. It is believed that these fish create their own microclimate, accumulating antimicrobial substances that prevent them from getting sick, and if the water is changed too often, ulcers begin to develop on the surface of the eel's body.

A sandy substrate is created at the bottom of the reservoir, it is also allowed to use some pebbles. The amount of vegetation in an electric eel tank should be moderate, and there should be driftwood, rocks and caves.

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Basic data on electric eel :

Length: up to 2.4 m.

Weight: 45 kg.

Related species. The eel family includes 16 species, one of which is the European eel.

The color of the eel is olive-orange, the body reaches two meters in length, the head is wide and flat. The eel's electrical organs are located in the tail, which is three-quarters of its entire body length.

Electric eel lifestyle

Habits: loner.

Food: small fish, frogs, juveniles also eat invertebrates.

Life Expectancy: It is not known exactly how many years an electric eel lives. The oldest river eel was at the age of 88, about the same as the life of an electric eel.

V muddy waters, where the eel lives, visibility is poor, so he rarely relies on his vision (vision in an eel is very poor). Acne receives accurate information about the world around it with the help of its electrical organs.

Young electric eels catch bottom-dwelling invertebrates. The fish finds prey with the help of electric organs, which allow it to detect the prey, even if it is motionless.

Sensitive sensors also record small electrical impulses, which are caused by the movement of the muscles of other fish, for example, during the respiration of the latter.

As soon as the eel detects its prey, it immediately sends out a series of electrical discharges that paralyze or even kill the victim. The eel eats only one row of small teeth, so scientists assume that it swallows its prey whole.

Breeding electric eel

Almost nothing is known about the reproduction of electric eels. It is believed that the fry emerge from the eggs. About the reproduction of electricity

It is possible that, like other species of fish capable of producing an electric field, eels use electrical organs to exchange information about gender, age, and readiness to mate.

At a certain time, the eels suddenly disappear and then return, accompanied by young fish about 10 cm long. It is assumed that the fry emerge from the eggs, but this version has not been proven to this day.

Electric eel is the most dangerous of all electric fish. Other electric fish, such as stingray or catfish, can cause an electrical discharge of five to two hundred volts.

Electrical organs. The organs that produce electricity are located at the back of the eel's body. They consist of a bundle of very thin electrical plates (EPs), of which there are about 10 thousand. Each of them produces a weak electric field. When acne activates them, EPs produce short electrical impulses. At low voltages, electric waves are used as radar. When a fish approaches, the eel intensifies the discharge and paralyzes the prey.

Place of residence. The homeland of the eel is South America. Lives in the rivers of Guyana, in the Orinoco and Amazon delta.
Preservation. In South America, its meat is used for food, but in other regions it is not used for this purpose. The only threat to the existence of the eel is water pollution.