Electroreception || Unconventional Senses and Sensory Attributes
❯ ❯ Electroreception
At its broadest, electroreception concerns sensitivity to electrical fields. Applied narrowly, electroreception explains a predator's capacity to locate and monitor its prey based on the electrical signals produced by said prey's heartbeat or nerves. For a predator, this means locating one's prey no matter where it hides, as well as at extended distances, depending on the medium through which the electrical field passes (e.g., water, air). Sensors are often delicate (e.g., beneath the skin of a shark's head rest hundreds of highly conductive, ampullary electroreceptors). Fascinatingly, some weakly electric fish have evolved their signal frequencies away from the sensory range of their predators in an effort to increase environmental fitness. Other animals use electroreception for intraspecies communication, identifying mates, or sensing and evading unwanted visitors.
❯ ❯ Adapted from a senses-writing masterpost: 15 Unconventional Senses and Sensory Attributes