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How Do Sharks Sense Electricity?
sharksanimalssenses
Quick Answer
Sharks detect the tiny electric fields made by living animals using jelly-filled pores on their snouts called ampullae of Lorenzini.
The Full Story
Every living animal produces weak electric fields as its muscles and nerves work. Sharks have hundreds to thousands of small pores around the head leading to canals filled with a conductive jelly. At the base of each canal, sensory cells detect minute voltage differences. This sense is among the most sensitive known in the animal world, able to detect fields of a few billionths of a volt per centimetre. It helps sharks find prey hidden under sand and may help them navigate using Earth's magnetic field.
Key Facts
1.The organs are named after Italian physician Stefano Lorenzini, who described them in 1678.
2.Rays and skates, close relatives of sharks, also have ampullae of Lorenzini.
3.Hammerhead sharks' wide heads spread out their sensors like a metal detector.
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The shark's sixth sense: detecting heartbeats in the sand."