Web source: http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/08/dolphin-dimples-detect-electricity/
We can sense dolphins in many different ways, by seeing them, hearing them, etc. However, dolphis can sense our presence too, just in a different way. They do have good eyesight, but they have no sense of smell. Scientists have been researching dolphins and their senses for a long time now, and came to a magnificent discovery! Researchers found that a certain type of dolphins, the Guiana dolphins are capable of detecting electric fields. They believe that this sense is located on their snouts, and that it can help them find fish to eat in the murky waters. Dolphins have small dimples on their snouts, which are scientifically called vibrissal crypts. Scientists decided to test their theories by observing the Guiana dolphins in an aquarium in Germany (The Guiana dolphins' natural habitat are the shallow waters of the east coast of South America). The first test that was conducted was on the snout of an old dolphin that died naturally. It was found that they looked like sensors that some other animals have in order to feel electric impulses. Nerve fibers were also discovered, which surely tells us about some sort of electrical charge. The next test was done on a live dolphin, which was taught to move from a device that created electric impulses if it felt something different happening. The moment the device started working, the dolphin moved away. Furthermore, once the scientists covered the dolphin's snout, it couldn't didn't react to any electrical charges.
Every living organism generates some sort of electric field. It can either be heart impulses, the cells working, etc. That means that all the fish generate electric impulses, that can transport through water, as water is a great conductor.
I think that this article is really interesting and it is amazing to think that dolphins have some sort of a sixth sense! Dolphins have always be known to be very intelligent animals and this shows a part of the reason why they are considered this. They can find prey much faster then other animals, because of their sense for electrical fields. Also, the test scientists conducted seemed really original, and I find it amazing that they conducted these experiments in so much detail, careful of every step they took. However, I think that the dolphins' sensing of electricity wouldn't be that effiicient when they are trying to find smaller prey, because they might not be able to sense such tiny electric impulses.
We can sense dolphins in many different ways, by seeing them, hearing them, etc. However, dolphis can sense our presence too, just in a different way. They do have good eyesight, but they have no sense of smell. Scientists have been researching dolphins and their senses for a long time now, and came to a magnificent discovery! Researchers found that a certain type of dolphins, the Guiana dolphins are capable of detecting electric fields. They believe that this sense is located on their snouts, and that it can help them find fish to eat in the murky waters. Dolphins have small dimples on their snouts, which are scientifically called vibrissal crypts. Scientists decided to test their theories by observing the Guiana dolphins in an aquarium in Germany (The Guiana dolphins' natural habitat are the shallow waters of the east coast of South America). The first test that was conducted was on the snout of an old dolphin that died naturally. It was found that they looked like sensors that some other animals have in order to feel electric impulses. Nerve fibers were also discovered, which surely tells us about some sort of electrical charge. The next test was done on a live dolphin, which was taught to move from a device that created electric impulses if it felt something different happening. The moment the device started working, the dolphin moved away. Furthermore, once the scientists covered the dolphin's snout, it couldn't didn't react to any electrical charges.
Every living organism generates some sort of electric field. It can either be heart impulses, the cells working, etc. That means that all the fish generate electric impulses, that can transport through water, as water is a great conductor.
I think that this article is really interesting and it is amazing to think that dolphins have some sort of a sixth sense! Dolphins have always be known to be very intelligent animals and this shows a part of the reason why they are considered this. They can find prey much faster then other animals, because of their sense for electrical fields. Also, the test scientists conducted seemed really original, and I find it amazing that they conducted these experiments in so much detail, careful of every step they took. However, I think that the dolphins' sensing of electricity wouldn't be that effiicient when they are trying to find smaller prey, because they might not be able to sense such tiny electric impulses.
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