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Pacific Torpedo RayAn electric ray, also called a Pacific torpedo, prowls a kelp forest off the western coast of North America. These large flattened rays often lie partially buried on sandy seafloors, where they use a specialized sensory system to detect the electrical stimuli of potential prey and then attack them by ambush. The predator wraps its body around a halibut or mackerel and uses special kidney-shaped organs to produce a stunning electric charge of up to 50 volts.
Photograph by Phillip Colla, SeaPics.com

Electroreceptive Fish

The electric ray, and other fish, have the biological ability to perceive natural electrical stimuli.

January 29, 2010

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