It turns out that not only people generate electricity!

Among the electric fish, the championship belongs to the electric eel, which lives in the tributaries of the Amazon and other rivers of South America. Adult eels reach two and a half meters. Electric organs - transformed muscles - are located on the sides of the eel, extending along the spine for 80 percent of the entire length of the fish. This is a kind of battery, the plus of which is in the front of the body, and the minus is in the back. A live battery generates a voltage of about 350, and in the largest individuals - up to 650 volts. With an instantaneous current strength of up to 1-2 amperes, such a discharge is capable of knocking a person down. With the help of electrical discharges, the eel defends itself from enemies and earns its own food.

Another fish lives in the rivers of Equatorial Africa - electric catfish. Its dimensions are smaller - from 60 to 100 cm. Special glands that generate electricity make up about 25 percent of the total weight of the fish. Electric current reaches a voltage of 360 volts. There are known cases of electric shock in people who bathed in the river and accidentally stepped on such a catfish. If an electric catfish falls for a bait, then the angler can also receive a very noticeable electric shock that has passed through the wet fishing line and rod to his hand.

However, skillfully directed electrical discharges can be used for medicinal purposes. It is known that the electric catfish occupied an honorable place in the arsenal of traditional medicine among the ancient Egyptians.

Electric skates are also capable of generating very significant electrical energy. There are more than 30 types of them. These sedentary inhabitants of the bottom, ranging in size from 15 to 180 cm, are distributed mainly in the coastal zone of tropical and subtropical waters of all oceans. Hiding at the bottom, sometimes half immersed in sand or silt, they paralyze their prey (other fish) with a current discharge, the voltage of which in different types of rays varies from 8 to 220 volts. The stingray can cause a significant electric shock to a person who accidentally comes into contact with it.

In addition to electric charges of great strength, fish are also capable of generating low-voltage, weak current. Thanks to rhythmic discharges of weak current with a frequency of 1 to 2000 pulses per second, they perfectly orient themselves even in muddy water and signal each other about emerging danger. Such are the mormiruses and hymnarchs that live in the muddy waters of the rivers, lakes and swamps of Africa.

In general, as experimental studies have shown, almost all fish, both marine and freshwater, are capable of emitting very weak electrical discharges that can only be detected with the help of special instruments. These discharges play an important role in the behavioral reactions of fish, especially those that are constantly kept in large schools.

From the journal "Science and Life"№3, 1998 G.

Dominic Statham

Photo ©depositphotos.com/Yourth2007

Electrophorus electricus) lives in the dark waters of swamps and rivers in the northern part of South America. It is a mysterious predator that has a sophisticated system of electrolocation and is able to move and hunt in low visibility conditions. By using "electroreceptors" to detect distortions in the electric field caused by his own body, he is able to detect potential prey while remaining undetected himself. It immobilizes the victim with a powerful electric shock, strong enough to stun a large mammal like a horse, or even kill a human. With its elongated, rounded body shape, the eel resembles the fish we usually call the moray eel (order Anguilliformes); however, it belongs to a different order of fish (Gymnotiformes).

Fish that can detect electric fields are called electroreceptive, and those capable of generating a powerful electric field, such as an electric eel, are called electrogenic.

How does an electric eel generate such a high electrical voltage?

Electric fish are not the only ones capable of generating electricity. In fact, all living organisms do this to one degree or another. The muscles in our body, for example, are controlled by the brain with electrical signals. The electrons produced by bacteria can be used to generate electricity in fuel cells called electrocytes. (see table below). And although each of the cells carries a small charge, due to the fact that thousands of such cells are assembled in a series, like batteries in a flashlight, voltages up to 650 volts (V) can be generated. If these rows are arranged in parallel, an electric current of 1 ampere (A) can be obtained, which gives an electric shock of 650 watts (W; 1 W = 1 V × 1 A).

How does an eel manage to avoid electrocuting itself?

Photo: CC-BY-SA Steven Walling via Wikipedia

Scientists do not know exactly how to answer this question, but the results of some interesting observations may shed light on this problem. First, the vital organs of an eel (such as the brain and heart) are located near the head, away from the organs that generate electricity, and are surrounded by fatty tissue that can act as insulation. The skin also has insulating properties, since it has been observed that eels with damaged skin are more susceptible to self-stunning by electric shock.

Secondly, eels are able to inflict the most powerful electric shocks at the time of mating, without harming the partner. However, if another eel is hit with the same force outside of the mating season, it can kill it. This suggests that eels have some kind of defense system that can be turned on and off.

Could the electric eel have evolved?

It is very difficult to imagine how this could happen in the course of minor changes, as required by the process proposed by Darwin. In case the shock wave was important from the very beginning, then instead of stunning, it would warn the victim of danger. Moreover, in order to develop the ability to stun the victim in the course of evolution, the electric eel would have to simultaneously develop a system of self-defense. Every time a mutation appeared that increased the strength of the electric shock, another mutation should have arisen that improved the electrical insulation of the eel. It seems unlikely that one mutation would be enough. For example, in order to move the organs closer to the head, it would take a whole series of mutations that had to occur at the same time.

While few fish are capable of stunning their prey, there are many species that use low voltage electricity for navigation and communication. Electric eels belong to a group of South American fish known as knifefish (family Mormyridae) that also use electrolocation and are thought to have developed this ability along with their South American cousins. Moreover, evolutionists are forced to claim that the electrical organs in fish evolved independently eight times. Given the complexity of their structure, it is already striking that these systems could have developed at least once in the course of evolution, not to mention eight.

Knife-catchers from South America and chimaeras from Africa use their electrical organs for location and communication, and use a number of different kinds of electroreceptors. In both groups there are species that produce electric fields of various complex waveforms. Two types of knives Brachyhypopomus benetti And Brachyhypopomus walteri so similar to each other that they could be attributed to the same type, however, the first of them produces a direct voltage current, and the second - an alternating voltage current. The evolutionary story becomes even more remarkable if you dig even deeper. In order for their electrolocation devices not to interfere with each other and not create interference, some species use a special system with which each of the fish changes the frequency of the electrical discharge. It is noteworthy that this system works in almost the same way (using the same computational algorithm) as that of a glass knifemaker from South America ( Eigenmannia) and African fish aba-aba ( Gymnarchus). Could such an interference elimination system have evolved independently in the course of evolution in two separate groups of fish living on different continents?

Masterpiece of God's Creation

The energy unit of the electric eel eclipsed all human creations with its compactness, flexibility, mobility, environmental safety and self-healing ability. All parts of this apparatus are perfectly integrated into the polished body, which gives the eel the ability to swim with great speed and agility. All the details of its structure - from tiny cells that generate electricity, to the most complex computer complex that analyzes the distortions of the electric fields produced by the eel - indicate the intention of the great Creator.

How does an electric eel generate electricity? (popular science article)

Electric fish generate electricity in a similar way to the way the nerves and muscles in our body do. Inside electrocyte cells, special enzymatic proteins called Na-K ATPase pump out sodium ions through the cell membrane, and absorb potassium ions. ('Na' is the chemical symbol for sodium and 'K' is the chemical symbol for potassium. 'ATP' stands for adenosine triphosphate, the energy molecule used to power the pump.) An imbalance between potassium ions inside and outside the cell results in a chemical gradient that again pushes potassium ions out of the cell. Similarly, an imbalance between sodium ions creates a chemical gradient that draws sodium ions back into the cell. Other proteins embedded in the membrane act as channels for potassium ions, pores that allow potassium ions to leave the cell. As positively charged potassium ions accumulate on the outside of the cell, an electrical gradient builds up around the cell membrane, with the outside of the cell having a more positive charge than the inside. Pumps Na-K ATPase (sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase) are constructed in such a way that they select only one positively charged ion, otherwise the negatively charged ions would also begin to flow, neutralizing the charge.

Most of the electric eel's body is made up of electrical organs. The main organ and Hunter's organ are responsible for the generation and accumulation of electrical charge. The Sachs organ generates a low voltage electric field that is used for electrolocation.

The chemical gradient acts to push the potassium ions out, while the electrical gradient pulls them back in. At the moment of balance, when the chemical and electrical forces cancel each other out, there will be about 70 millivolts more positive charge on the outside of the cell than on the inside. Thus, inside the cell is a negative charge of -70 millivolts.

However, more proteins embedded in the cell membrane provide channels for sodium ions - these are pores that allow sodium ions to enter the cell again. Normally, these pores are closed, but when the electrical organs are activated, the pores open, and sodium ions with a positive charge again enter the cell under the influence of a chemical potential gradient. In this case, the balance is achieved when a positive charge of up to 60 millivolts is collected inside the cell. There is a total voltage change from -70 to +60 millivolts, and this is 130 mV or 0.13 V. This discharge occurs very quickly, in about one millisecond. And since there are approximately 5000 electrocytes in a series of cells, due to the synchronous discharge of all cells, up to 650 volts (5000 × 0.13 V = 650) can be generated.

Pump Na-K ATPase (sodium-potassium adenazine triphosphatase). For each cycle, two potassium ions (K+) enter the cell and three sodium ions (Na+) leave the cell. This process is driven by the energy of ATP molecules.

Glossary

An atom or molecule that carries an electrical charge due to an unequal number of electrons and protons. An ion will be negatively charged if it contains more electrons than protons, and positively charged if it contains more protons than electrons. Potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+) ions have a positive charge.

Gradient

A change in some quantity when moving from one point in space to another. For example, if you move away from a fire, the temperature drops. Thus, the fire generates a temperature gradient that decreases with distance.

electrical gradient

The gradient of change in the magnitude of the electric charge. For example, if there are more positively charged ions outside the cell than inside the cell, an electrical gradient will flow across the cell membrane. Due to the fact that the same charges repel each other, the ions will move in such a way as to balance the charge inside and outside the cell. The movement of ions due to the electrical gradient occurs passively, under the influence of electrical potential energy, and not actively, under the influence of energy coming from an external source, such as an ATP molecule.

chemical gradient

Chemical concentration gradient. For example, if there are more sodium ions outside the cell than inside the cell, then the sodium ion chemical gradient will pass through the cell membrane. Due to the random movement of ions and collisions between them, there is a tendency for sodium ions to move from higher concentrations to lower concentrations until a balance is established, that is, until there is an equal number of sodium ions on both sides of the membrane. This happens passively, as a result of diffusion. The movements are due to the kinetic energy of the ions, not to the energy received from an external source such as an ATP molecule.

The potential difference at the ends of electrical organs can reach 1200 volts, and the discharge power in a pulse can be from 1 to 6 kilowatts. The pulse frequency depends on their purpose. For example, an electric ray emits 10-12 impulses when defending, and from 14 to 562 when attacking. The voltage power in the discharge in different fish ranges from 20 to 600 volts. Among marine fish, the most "strong" electric organ is the stingray Torpedo maromata - it can generate a discharge of more than 200 volts. The electricity protects it from both sharks and octopuses, and also allows it to hunt small fish.

In freshwater fish, the discharges are even more powerful. The fact is that salt water is a better conductor of electricity than fresh water. Therefore, sea fish require less energy to stun the enemy. One of the most dangerous freshwater fish is the electric eel from the Amazon. There are three electrical organs on his body. Two of them are for navigation and hunting for prey, and the third is a powerful weapon with a voltage of more than 500 volts. An electric shock of such force not only kills fish and frogs, but can even cause serious harm to humans. Therefore, catching Amazonian eels is very dangerous. To do this, a herd of cows is driven into the river so that the eels spend their entire charge on them. Only after that people go into the water.

Some fish use electricity to navigate. For example, a Nile elephant or a knifefish create an electromagnetic field around itself. When a foreign object enters it, the fish immediately feels it. This navigation system resembles the echolocation of bats. It allows you to navigate well in muddy water. Studies have shown that many electric fish are so sensitive to changes in electromagnetic fields that they are able to “anticipate” an approaching earthquake.

Occur, for example, in many plants. But the most amazing carrier of this ability are electric fish. Their ability to generate discharges of strong power is not available to any animal species.

Why do fish need electricity

The fact that some fish can strongly “beat” the person or animal that affected them was known even by the ancient inhabitants of the sea coasts. The Romans believed that at this moment some strong poison was released from the inhabitants of the depths, as a result of which the victim experienced temporary paralysis. And only with the development of science and technology it became clear that fish tend to create electrical discharges of different strengths.

What kind of fish is electric? Scientists argue that these abilities are characteristic of almost all representatives of the named species of fauna, it’s just that most of them have small discharges, perceptible only by powerful sensitive devices. They use them to send signals to each other - as a means of communication. The strength of the emitted signals allows you to determine in the fish environment who is who, or, in other words, to find out the strength of your opponent.

Electric fish use their special organs to protect themselves from enemies, as a weapon to defeat prey, and also as landmark locators.

Where is the power plant for fish?

Electrical phenomena in the body of fish interested scientists involved in the phenomena of natural energy. The first experiments on the study of biological electricity were carried out by Faraday. For his experiments, he used stingrays as the strongest producers of charges.

One thing that all researchers agreed on is that the main role in electrogenesis belongs to cell membranes, which are able to decompose positive and negative ions in cells, depending on excitation. Modified muscles are interconnected in series, these are the so-called power plants, and connective tissues are conductors.

"Energy-producing" bodies can have a very different look and location. So, in stingrays and eels, these are kidney-shaped formations on the sides, in elephant fish - cylindrical threads in the tail area.

As already mentioned, producing current on one scale or another is characteristic of many representatives of this class, but there are real electric fish that are dangerous not only for other animals, but also for humans.

electric snake fish

The South American electric eel has nothing to do with the common eel. It is named so simply by its external resemblance. This long, up to 3 meters, snake-like fish weighing up to 40 kg is capable of generating a discharge of 600 volts! Close contact with such a fish can cost lives. Even if the current strength does not become the direct cause of death, it definitely leads to loss of consciousness. A helpless person can choke and drown.

Electric eels live in the Amazon, in many shallow rivers. The local population, knowing their abilities, does not go into the water. The electric field produced by the snake fish diverges within a radius of 3 meters. At the same time, the eel shows aggression and can attack without much need. He probably does this out of fear, since his main diet is small fish. In this regard, a live "electric fishing rod" does not know any problems: it released a charger, and breakfast is ready, lunch and dinner at the same time.

stingray family

Electric fish - stingrays - are combined into three families and number about forty species. They tend not only to generate electricity, but also to accumulate it in order to use it in the future for its intended purpose.

The main purpose of the shots is to scare off enemies and catch small fish for food. If the stingray releases all its accumulated charge at one time, its power is enough to kill or immobilize a large animal. But this happens extremely rarely, since the fish - the electric stingray - after a complete "blackout" becomes weak and vulnerable, it takes time for it to accumulate power again. So the stingrays strictly control their energy supply system with the help of one of the parts of the brain, which acts as a relay switch.

The family of gnus, or electric rays, is also called "torpedoes". The largest of them is the inhabitant of the Atlantic Ocean, the black torpedo (Torpedo nobiliana). This one, which reaches a length of 180 cm, produces the strongest current. And with close contact with him, a person can lose consciousness.

Moresby's stingray and Tokyo torpedo (Torpedo tokionis ) - the deepest representatives of their family. They can be found at a depth of 1,000 m. And the smallest among their fellows is the Indian stingray, its maximum length is only 13 cm. A blind stingray lives off the coast of New Zealand - its eyes are completely hidden under a layer of skin.

electric catfish

In the muddy waters of tropical and subtropical Africa live electric fish - catfish. These are quite large individuals, from 1 to 3 m in length. Catfish do not like fast currents, they live in cozy nests at the bottom of reservoirs. The electrical organs, which are located on the sides of the fish, are capable of producing a voltage of 350 V.

A sedentary and apathetic catfish does not like to swim far from its home, crawls out of it to hunt at night, but also does not like uninvited guests. He meets them with light electric waves, and with them he gets his prey. Discharges help catfish not only hunt, but also navigate in dark, muddy water. Electric catfish meat is considered a delicacy by the local African population.

Nile dragon

Another African electric representative of the fish kingdom is the Nile hymnarch, or aba-aba. He was depicted in their frescoes by the pharaohs. It lives not only in the Nile, but in the waters of the Congo, Niger and some lakes. This is a beautiful "stylish" fish with a long graceful body, from forty centimeters to one and a half meters long. The lower fins are absent, but one upper stretches along the entire body. Under it is a “battery”, which produces electromagnetic waves with a power of 25 V almost constantly. The hymnarch's head carries a positive charge, while the tail carries a negative charge.

Gymnarchs use their electrical abilities not only to search for food and locations, but also in mating games. By the way, the male hymnarchs are simply amazingly fanatical fathers. They do not depart from laying eggs. And as soon as someone approaches the children, dad will douse the violator with a stun gun so much that it will not seem enough.

Gymnarchs are very cute - their elongated, dragon-like muzzle and sly eyes have won love among aquarists. True, the handsome man is quite aggressive. Of the several fry settled in the aquarium, only one will survive.

Sea cow

Large bulging eyes, an ever-open mouth framed by a fringe, an extended jaw make the fish look like an eternally dissatisfied, grumpy old woman. What is the name of the electric fish with such a portrait? families of stargazers. Comparison with a cow is evoked by two horns on its head.

This unpleasant specimen spends most of its time burrowing into the sand and lying in wait for passing prey. The enemy will not pass: the cow is armed, as they say, to the teeth. The first line of attack is a long red tongue-worm, with which the stargazer lures naive fish and catches them without even getting out of cover. But if necessary, it will shoot up instantly and stun the victim until he loses consciousness. The second weapon for self-defense - poisonous spikes are located behind the eyes and above the fins. And that is not all! The third powerful tool is located behind the head - electrical organs that generate charges with a voltage of 50 V.

Who else is electric

The above are not the only electric fish. The names not listed by us sound like this: Peters' gnathonem, black knifemaker, mormirs, diplobatis. As you can see, there are a lot of them. Science has taken a big step forward in the study of this strange ability of some fish, but it has not been possible to fully unravel the mechanism for the accumulation of high-power electricity until now.

Do fish heal?

Official medicine has not confirmed the possession of the electromagnetic field of fish by a healing effect. But folk medicine has long used the electric waves of rays to cure many diseases of a rheumatic nature. For this, people specially walk nearby and receive weak discharges. Here is a natural electrophoresis.

Residents of Africa and Egypt use electric catfish to treat a severe stage of fever. To increase immunity in children and strengthen the general condition, equatorial residents force them to touch catfish, and also drink water in which this fish swam for some time.

electric fish. Even in ancient times, people noticed that some fish somehow get their own food in a special way. And only quite recently, by historical standards, it became clear how they do it. It turns out that there are fish that create an electrical discharge. This discharge paralyzes or kills other fish and even non-small animals.

Such a fish swims, swims without hurrying anywhere. As soon as another fish is close to it, an electric discharge is created. All right, lunch is ready. You can swim up and swallow paralyzed or electrocuted fish.

How does it happen in fish to create an electrical impulse? The fact is that in the body of such fish there are real batteries. Their number and size in fish are different, but the principle of operation is the same. It is on the same principle that modern rechargeable batteries are arranged.

Actually, modern batteries are created in the model and likeness of fish batteries. Two electrodes with an electrolyte in between. This principle was once spied on an electric stingray. Mother Nature has many more interesting surprises!

There are more than 300 species of electric fish in the world today. They have a variety of sizes and weights. All of them are united by the ability to create an electrical discharge or even a whole series of discharges. But still, it is believed that the most powerful electric fish are rays, catfish and eels.

Electric ramps have a flat head and body. The head is often disc-shaped. They have a small tail with a fin. The electrical organs are located on the sides of the head. A couple more small electric organs are located on the tail. They are even in those rays that are not electrical.

Electric ramps can generate an electrical impulse with a voltage of up to four hundred and fifty volts. With this impulse, they can not only immobilize, but also kill small fish. A person, if he falls into the zone of action of the impulse, will also not find it a little. But a person is likely to remain alive, although he will certainly experience unpleasant moments in his life.

electric catfish, as well as rays, create an electrical impulse. Its voltage can be in large catfish, as well as in rays, up to 450 volts. When catching such a catfish, you can also get a very noticeable electric shock. Electric catfish live in the waters of Africa and reach sizes up to 1 meter. Their weight can be up to 23 kilograms.

But, the most dangerous fish lives in the waters of South America. This electric eels. They are very large in size. Adults reach a length of three meters and a weight of up to twenty kilograms. These electrical giants can create an electrical impulse of up to one thousand two hundred volts.

With an impulse with such a voltage, they can kill quite large animals that are inopportunely nearby. The same outcome can be expected for a person. The power of the electric discharge reaches six kilowatts. It won't seem like much. These are the living power plants.