In the seas and oceans, there are creatures with amazing and amazing abilities to generate electricity. One such creature is the electric ray.
How do stingrays generate electricity?
All thanks to the special electrical organs inside these creatures. They originated in both freshwater and marine fish. It is known that some of their fossil ancestors had the same organs. Modern ichthyology has more than 300 species of different fish with electrical organs. These organs are modified muscles. They differ in their location in certain "electro-fish". For example, in stingrays, they are kidney-shaped formations.
In simple terms, the electric organs of stingrays are a kind of mini-generators that generate a very decent charge of current. This charge is enough to immobilize not only fish, but also a person! There are experts who claim that ramps can generate 300 volts at a time. The electrical organs are located in the dorsal and abdominal parts of the body of this "electric fish". They can be compared to a galvanic or electrical battery.
Each of these organs consists of numerous electrical plates assembled into columns. These are modified nerve, muscle and glandular cells. A potential difference is generated between their membranes. The electrical organs are innervated by special branches of the glossopharyngeal, facial and vagus nerves, which, in turn, approach the electronegative side of the aforementioned plates.
When do stingrays generate electricity?
These creatures use their unique electrogenic properties in two cases: if they are threatened by any danger, or while hunting (searching for prey). Curiously, the stingrays themselves do not suffer from the electrical discharge they release. This is due to the special "isolation" that Mother Nature has awarded them. By the way, not only electric rays have electrogenic properties, but also some of their other types that do not belong to the electric family: the organs of these creatures are located only on the tail.
Those fishermen who had the imprudence to feel the full force of the impact of this "electric fish" remained extremely unhappy. According to them, an electric shock from an electric stingray is accompanied by prolonged drowsiness, trembling in the legs, loss of sensitivity, and numbness of the upper limbs.
It is curious that such an amazing electrogenic property of these creatures was successfully exploited in ancient Greece. The Greeks used these wonderful fish for pain relief during any surgical intervention, or during childbirth.
