A n e m a w 
Animal Electromagnetism and Waves
_____________
Back to Mission Statement

      


- Bioelectromagnetism - Bioelectricity
¤ Electric Catfish
¤ Electric Eel
¤ Electric Ray
¤ Mormyrid Fish
¤ Tiger Shark
¤ Other Zoological Examples 
¤ History: Timeline

Biomagnetism
¤ Zoological Examples

_____________

- Waves & Related -
Bioluminescence
¤ Deep-Sea Anglerfish
¤ Deep-water Spiny Dogfish
¤ Noctiluca
¤ Railway Glowworm 
¤ Scale Worm
¤ Viperfish
¤  Other Zoological Examples

Infrasonic Waves
(including: Seismic waves)
¤ American Alligator
¤ Domestic pigeon
¤ Elephant
¤ Rhinoceros
¤ Scorpion
¤ Other Zoological Examples


 Ultrasonic Waves  
(including: Echolocation)
¤ Bat
¤ Dolphin
¤ Human
¤ Whale
¤ Other Zoological Examples

_____________

- Other Stuffs -
Contact Information
Funnies
Guestbook
Phantasy Fysics RPG
Resources, Credits, & Links
Other Links


    

Species: Electrophorus electricus
Physics Application(s) Overview: Bioelectricity


Species distinctions: Electric Eel:

Weight: n/a
Body length: up to 2.8 m ( 9.0 ft)
Power of discharge: up to 600.0 V (enough to kill a horse)
Life-span: n/a
Diet: fish, frogs
Distinctive qualities: inhabits marsh and stagnant water in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers of South America; eel like, but not a true eel; long anal fin no confluent with tail fin, running nearly to throat, allowing for easy navigation in all directions; no scales; no dorsal fin; small eyes; shocks prey with electricity; modified gills to gulp air; olive-brown in colour; small, paired fins behind gills; 87.5% of the body is tail, with internal organs located in small space behind the head.

 

 

Habits, physical and social structures:

The electric eel is one particular species found in the Gymnotidae family, a minute freshwater family with eel-like body forms that lack fins with the exception of the long anal fin and small pectorals, as well as possessing powerful jaws. They are capable of producing weak electric current, found in regions of Central and South America. The family, Gymnarchidae, consists of freshwater fish, Gymnarchus niloticus, also with an eel-like body and missing anal and pelvic fins, producing weak electric discharges to catch prey and in defense and navigation, inhibiting regions of tropical Africa. There exists other eels and knifefishes which also generate electrical discharge, similar to the electric eel.

The electric eel is found only in the oxygen-deficient waters of the Amazon, with no relation to true eels other than outward appearance and the ability to emit 500.0 and 600.0 V electrical discharges, enough to electrocute a horse and even a human, if repeatedly shocked. It must use patches of superficial blood vessels found within the mouth, which take oxygen from the air and act as false lungs, as they have poor gills and eyesight as they age. It is difficult to determine the males from the females it is observed they disappear from given habitats during the breeding season, returning with young electric eels of light brown with bands, who then mature to become marbled, followed by an olive-brown with an orange throat.

 

Physics Application(s):

Bioelectricity: 
The electric eel may be viewed as a moving, tube-shaped battery which must be approached with great caution, even though the amperage of the current decreases as the organism ages. Most of its body consists of tail, where vital organs are located behind the head, however, it is the tail which is of the most interest as it consists of current-generating organs, composed of five thousand to six thousand electroplates, organized like cells in a dry battery. There are three main sections of the electric organ: a main battery which works only when the body is in movement, and two smaller, minor batteries that works continuously. When the eel begins to move, impulses begin to be emitted at 20.0 to 30.0 per second, then increases to 50.0 per second. The second of the small batteries may feed into the larger battery, which is known to emit three to six waves of energy at five one-thousandths of a second, where each wave lasts for two one-thousandths. The positive pole may be found at the head region, the negative in the tail; the electric eel does not produce an electromagnetic field around itself.

 

Anemaw [Animal Electromagnetism and Waves] © Elizabeth Gerrow 2002 .