How do sharks detect electrical signals fish emmit when they move?
In: Biology
They have special organs called the ampullae of Lorenzini. They’re basically clusters of pores with electroreceptors. These organ cells are specialized to have high concentrations of voltage dependent ion channels. The cells are also connected very tightly to one another by gap junctions. There are some other anatomic features that also help direct the current inwards and prevent current leakage.
What the sharks actually sense is the difference in electric potential between the skin and the base of the pore. Fish swim around using their muscles, which produce electric fields by contracting. Salt water is a good conductor, and the movement of the conductor in the presence of Earth’s magnetic field produces an electric field. Sharks sense this and their ampullae of Lorenzini are excited.
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