Electric fish in danger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Electric fish in danger - Essay Example The Greeks have referred to electric fish as "narke" which means "numbness" and the ancient Greeks were aware of the numbing power of the electric fish. There are evidences from ancient history to prove that the people of the past have effectively used the numbing properties electric fish in medical treatment. (Moller, 584) Thus, the electric fish has long enthralled human beings through its specific nature and capabilities and it continues to arouse crucial interest among the scholars of the contemporary world. The electric fish species can be found in the sea as well as in the freshwater rivers of certain regions such as South America and Africa. It is important to comprehend that the electric fish are generally divided into three categories: the strongly electric, the weakly electric and fish that can detect electricity but do not generate electricity. The most significant fishes in the first category, i.e. strongly electric fish, are electric eel, electric catfish, and electric r ays, while knife fish and elephant nose are categorized as weakly electric fish. However, many fishes such as sharks, rays, paddle fish, and catfishes can detect electric fields, whereas they cannot generate electric fields, and therefore they belong to the third category of electric fish. ... organ discharge, its means of communication, the various distinctions of electric fish in ecology, the different types of dangers encountered by the species, the potential pollutants affecting its existence, and how ecological factors influence the pattern and frequency ranges occupied by male and female fishes. Whereas the strongly electric fish produce several hundreds of volts of electricity, in the weakly electric fish the voltage generally does not exceed one volt. Electric fish has been the center of attraction in various scholarly discussions due to its diverse characteristics and the dangers confronting the existence of this species have offered a new area of researches. It is important to comprehend how the electric fish produce very strong electricity to shock large animals. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, electric fish is the name for various fish which produce electricity by way of organs generally developed from modified muscle tissue. Significantly, the electric fish produce electricity at different levels and they mainly use this electric discharge to stun the prey. It is also found that the electric eel, otherwise called electrophorus electricus, which is a South American freshwater fish related to the carp, has organs along the ventral surface competent enough to produce from 450 to 600 volts of electricity. Another important electric fish, the electric ray, or torpedo, which is a freshwater electric catfish with a jellylike subcutaneous electric organ (probably of epidermal origin) that extends over the whole body, also produces several volts of electricity. There are also various species of stargazer fish which produce high volts of electricity and attract the curiosity of humans. There have been significant researches into the