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The electroreceptors of monotremes consist of free nerve endings located in the mucous glands of the snout. Among the monotremes, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has the most acute electric sense. [37] [38] The platypus localises its prey using almost 40,000 electroreceptors arranged in front-to-back stripes along the bill. [34]
Ampullae of Lorenzini (sg.: ampulla) are electroreceptors, sense organs able to detect electric fields. They form a network of mucus -filled pores in the skin of cartilaginous fish ( sharks , rays , and chimaeras ) and of basal bony fishes such as reedfish , [ 1 ] sturgeon , [ 2 ] and lungfish . [ 1 ]
Electric organs are made up of electrocytes, large, flat cells that create and store electrical energy, awaiting discharge. The anterior ends of these cells react to stimuli from the nervous system and contain sodium channels. The posterior ends contain sodium–potassium pumps. Electrocytes become polar when triggered by a signal from the ...
Electric eel anatomy: first detail shows electric organs, made of stacks of electrocytes. Second detail shows an individual cell with ion channels and pumps through the cell membrane; A nerve cell's terminal buttons are releasing neurotransmitters to trigger electrical activity. Final detail shows coiled protein chains of an ion channel.
The abilities of the electric fish to communicate and identify sex, age, and hierarchy within the species are also made possible through electric fields. EF gradients as low as 5nV/cm can be found in some saltwater weakly electric fish. [27] Several basal bony fishes, including the paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), possess
Oblique view of a goldfish (Carassius auratus), showing pored scales of the lateral line system. The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water.
Digging in the bottom of streams with its bill, its electroreceptors detect tiny electric currents generated by the muscular contractions of its prey, enabling it to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects. [54] Experiments have shown the platypus will even react to an "artificial shrimp" if a small electric current is passed through it.
The electroreceptors around its body are sensitive enough to detect the different distortions of the electric field made by objects that conduct or resist electricity. [4] The weak electric fields generated by this fish can be made audible by placing two electrodes in the fish tank, connected to an audio amplifier or a piezoelectric earbud. [5]