An electric eel leaping out the water to shock a fake alligator head
Strange? Indeed, this must be one of the most cool and weird videos to accompany a scientific paper this year so far. The video and experiment demonstrates how eels react to half-submerged predators by leaping up out of water and administering defensive volleys of high-voltage electricity
Electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) are shown to leap from the water to directly electrify threats. This shocking behavior likely allows electric eels to defend themselves during the Amazonian dry season, when they may be found in small pools and in danger of predation. The results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Paper:
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/06/01/1604009113.abstract
#biodiversity #electriceels #research #coolcritters
Electric eels: now even more terrifying! (Apparently they can shock more effectively when out of the water, as well.)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Miss Corina...😃....
ReplyDeleteShocking! Pun intended!
ReplyDeleteMore fascinating than terrifying for me. I'm not surprised these animals have evolved smart ways to be efficient electrifiers.
ReplyDeleteElectric eels are not eels at all, but specially evolved knife fish, a family of fish which posses one of the most highly developed brains in the fish world. They are able to communicate with each other using electricity as well as sense their environment, and stun both prey and would be predators.
Jumping up on the attacker reduces lost voltage to the water and puts more electrocytes directly in contact with the target.
Cool video. It's nice they finally confirmed these animals do indeed "jump" onto threats after so many years of doubt.
of course the cook thinks of the reality of how to recipe this Eddy fish currently....
ReplyDelete