Animal Behavior: Electric Eels Amp Up for an Easy Meal
نویسنده
چکیده
The high voltage discharge generated by electric eels is a powerful predatory weapon. A new study shows that eels exploit basic physics to increase the voltage delivered to prey, inducing muscle fatigue that turns challenging prey items into easy targets.
منابع مشابه
An Optimized Biological Taser: Electric Eels Remotely Induce or Arrest Movement in Nearby Prey.
Despite centuries of interest in electric eels, few studies have investigated the mechanism of the eel's attack. Here, I review and extend recent findings that show eel electric high-voltage discharges activate prey motor neuron efferents. This mechanism allows electric eels to remotely control their targets using two different strategies. When nearby prey have been detected, eels emit a high-v...
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Electric eels have been the subject of investigation and curiosity for centuries [1]. They use high voltage to track [2] and control [3] prey, as well as to exhaust prey by causing involuntary fatigue through remote activation of prey muscles [4]. But their most astonishing behavior is the leaping attack, during which eels emerge from the water to directly electrify a threat [5, 6]. This unique...
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Current Biology
دوره 25 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2015