How many volts does an electric catfish produce?

How big does an electric catfish get?

The electric catfish is hardy and, although pugnacious, is typically stored in house aquariums. It was pictured on tombs by the traditional Egyptians. The biggest can develop to about 1.2 m (4 ft) SL and 20 kg (44 lb).

Do fish produce electricity?

There are a host of fish that produce electricity at different capacities. Broadly, there are two types of electric fish, weakly electric fish and strongly electric fish. Weakly electric fish like the Peter’s elephantnose fish and the black ghost knifefish don’t produce enough electricity to shock anything, but it serves as a sense organ,

What do fish sense?

They sense their own electric organ discharges (EODs) and those of other fish with specialized sensory receptors called electroreceptors. The EODs are sexually dimorphic and convey information about the species, age, gender, and individual identity of the signaler.

How do electric fishes produce electric impulses?

Electric fishes produce electric impulses by a muscle or nerve-cell-derived electric organs, which in the case of mormyrids lies in the caudal peduncle.

What are the characteristics of electric fish?

These fish make use of spectral changes and amplitude modulation to determine factors such shape, size, distance, velocity, and conductivity. The abilities of the electric fish to communicate and identify sex, age, and hierarchy within the species are also made possible through electric fields.

Is electric fish a neuroethological model?

The utility of electric fish as a neuroethological model comes largely from the fact that the neural circuits underlying electrocommunication are relatively simple and electrocommunication signals are relatively easy to elicit and playback in the laboratory. Electricity is the language of the nervous system in all animals.

Are there any weakly electric fish?

There are two orders of weakly electric fishes—the Gymnotiformes, which live in South America, and the Mormyriformes, which are found in Africa. These orders are so phylogenetically distant that weakly electric organs and electrosensory capabilities must have evolved independently in each group.

What are the four main sense organs in fish?

The following points highlight the four main sense organs in fishes. The sense organs are: 1. Eye 2. Ear 3. Lateral-Line System 4. Hoagland. Sense Organ # 1.

What are the electric organs in fish?

The electric organs are derived from muscle tissue which is organized as a series of units, each one acting as a type of battery. The electric eel (which is related to the carp, not to the true eel) also uses the electrical pulses as a navigational aid, as does the African elephant fish ( Mormyridae ).

Are electric fish electrogenic?

The electric fish, producing electricity, are electrogenic, but as they sense the electricity they are also electroreceptive.

Is a catfish an electric fish?

Electric fish. Many fish such as sharks, rays and catfishes can detect electric fields and are thus electroreceptive, but they are not classified as electric fish because they cannot generate electricity. Most common bony fish ( teleosts ), including most fish kept in aquaria or caught for food, are neither electrogenic nor electroreceptive.

Where are electric fish found?

Electric fish species can be found both in the ocean and in freshwater rivers of South America (Gymnotiformes) and Africa (Mormyridae). Many fish such as sharks, rays and catfishes can detect electric fields and are thus electroreceptive, but they are not classified as electric fish because they cannot generate electricity.

How does a strong electric marine fish work?

Strongly electric marine fish gives low voltage, high current electric discharges. In salt water, a small voltage can drive a large current limited by the internal resistance of the electric organ. Hence, the electric organ consists of many electrocytes in parallel.

Do fish have chemoreceptors?

Many fish also have chemoreceptors that are responsible for extraordinary senses of taste and smell. Although they have ears, many fish may not hear very well. Most fish have sensitive receptors that form the lateral line system, which detects gentle currents and vibrations, and senses the motion of nearby fish and prey.

Is the elephantnose fish a social animal?

The elephantnose fish is a social animal, usually occurring in large schools. There appears to be a complex social structure with this species. Feeds mostly at night on worms and insects, probing for prey with its long barbel, possibly aided by its electro-sensory capability.

Can elephantnose fish hear?

Elephantnose fish is territorial and can be aggressive towards other elephantnose fish. This behavior involves electric organ discharge (EOD) activity. This species can hear sounds in the range of 100 – 2500 Hz, with best hearing demonstrated between 300 and 600 Hz.

What are the two types of electrogenic fish?

Based on the strength of the EOD, the electrogenic fish can be classified into two types: Strongly electric fish: Their discharge is so strong they can stun (and capture) prey with it. Examples for such fish are the Electric eel (which is a knifefish, not a true eel), electric catfishes, or electric rays

Do electric fish have convergent evolution?

In the electric fish Gymnarchus niloticus (AKA the African knifefish), the tail, trunk, hypobranchial, and eye muscles have been found to be incorporated into the organ, most likely to provide rigid fixation for the electrodes while swimming. This provides evidence for a convergent evolution.

What do electric eels eat in the wild?

Initially, the fry eat unhatched eggs and smaller eels. Juvenile fish eat small invertebrates, including crabs and shrimp. Adults are carnivores that eat other fish, small mammals, birds, and amphibians. They use electric discharges both to stun prey and as a means of defense. In the wild, electric eels live about 15 years.

What are the adaptive organs of fish?

2.  In some fishes adaptive organs are developed such as electric organs, poison glands, bioluminescent organs.  Electric organs are seen in approximately 250 species of fishes.  These glands are not specific to any class.  These glands discharge electric shock.  Different species use electric organs for different functions.

What is an electric organ in fish?

Electric organs, found in six groups of fishes (Fig. 1), are structures specialized to generate electric fields in the animals’ external environment. In some the voltages are large enough to stun prey or repel predators.

Is the flesh of electric catfish edible?

The fish inhabits the Nile and certain other rivers in tropical Africa and is also bred in aquariums. The flesh of the electric catfish is edible. Zhizn’zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1.

Where do electrogenic fish live?

Most electrogenic fish are also electroreceptive. Electric fish species can be found both in the ocean and in freshwater rivers of South America ( Gymnotiformes) and Africa ( Mormyridae ).

Do herbivorous fish have good hearing?

Meat eating fish would need to hear prey fish to be able to hunt effectively, whereas herbivorous fish wouldn’t need the same heightened hearing senses. Most fish hear through the otoliths which is an ear of sorts, or the lateral line. Some species can also hear through their swim bladder.

Can fish hear through their ears?

Most fish hear through the otoliths which is an ear of sorts, or the lateral line. Some species can also hear through their swim bladder. The otolith is a calcium carbonate structure in the inner ear. Fish ears start with a tympanum, a membrane that acts a lot like a drum cover.

What is the function of chemoreceptors in fish?

Oxygen chemoreceptors initiate reflex physiological responses in fish that increase O2 uptake and delivery to systemic tissues, thus promoting survival in a hypoxic environment.

What is the function of oxygen chemoreceptors?

6. Conclusion Oxygen chemoreceptors initiate reflex physiological responses in fish that increase O2 uptake and delivery to systemic tissues, thus promoting survival in a hypoxic environment.