I mean like, if no blood particles have traveled to them in the water, how can they possibly know that it is there? Is it just a myth?
In: Biology
You’re right that the idea of sharks smelling a single drop of blood from miles away is a myth. Sharks have an incredible sense of smell, but it’s not quite that superhuman.
Sharks can detect blood in the water from impressive distances, but it’s more like a quarter mile than a mile. They have a special superpower that helps them achieve this feat: electroreception.
Electroreception allows sharks to pick up on the weak electrical fields emitted by living organisms. When a fish gets injured, the electrical fields it gives off change. Sharks can sense these changes and home in on the source, which might be a wounded prey animal.
So, it’s a combination of their super-smeller ability and electroreception that makes sharks such efficient hunters.
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