Sharks are some of the animal kingdom's most feared hunters, thanks to a special sixth sense.
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There are two ways that animals use electroreception. They either use their own electric currents and sense how those currents bounce back to interpret their surroundings. Or they pick up the electric currents already being produced by other animals to locate prey. Electroreception is most common in fish and some amphibians because salt water is a fantastic conductor of electricity - especially compared to air.

But, sharks are truly some of the best at using electroreception because they’re so sensitive. In addition to their strong muscles, aerodynamic shape, and specialized fins, this sixth sense helps sharks to be the talented hunters that they are famous for. Great white sharks are so sensitive, they can detect one millionth of a volt in a centimeter of seawater and maybe even less than that.

As a shark swims through the water, these electric fields travel into the pores under its head, through the tubes to the ampullae. Then tiny hairs read these signals and use a network of nerves to send a message to the brain. This gives the shark exact dimensions and location of the fish, helping catch and eat it.

#sharks #science #electroreception #seeker #tusktotails #anatomy

Read More:
How Sensitive Are Sharks to Electric Fields?
https://www.wired.com/2013/08/how-sen...
"IT TURNS OUT that sharks (and some other fish) can detect electric fields. This sixth sense is called electroreception."

The Shark's Electric Sense
http://faculty.bennington.edu/~sherma...
"A menacing fin pierced the surface and sliced toward us. A great blue shark—three meters in length— homed in on the scent of blood like a torpedo."

Electroreceptors and Magnetoreceptors
https://www.hawaii.edu/fishlab/pubs/T...
"Many animals have the ability to detect electric and
magnetic fields."
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