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Science 16 June 1972:
Vol. 176. no. 4040, pp. 1233 - 1235
DOI: 10.1126/science.176.4040.1233
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Articles

Oceanic Electric Fields: Perception by American Eels?

S. A. Rommel Jr. 1 and J. D. McCleave 1

1 Department of Zoology, University of Maine, Orono 04473

American eels, long-distance migrating fish, consistently exhibited conditioned cardiac deceleration responses to electric fields as small as 0.167 x 10-2 microampere per square centimeter in water of resistivity 4000 ohm centimeters (6.7 microvolts per centimeter) and 400 ohm centimeters (0.67 microvolt per centimeter). Fewer responses were shown at this current density (0.167 x 10-2 microampere per square centimeter) in more saline water (40 ohm centimeters, 0.067 microvolt per centimeter) and at a lower current density (0.167 x 10-3 microampere per square centimeter) in fresh water. Thus, eels have sufficient sensitivity to utilize geoelectric information for orientation.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Magnetic sense in the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica, as determined by conditioning and electrocardiography.
T. Nishi, G. Kawamura, and K. Matsumoto (2004)
J. Exp. Biol. 207, 2965-2970
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)