What is electroreception and how do sharks use it?

The source of sharks' electroreception lies around their snouts and lower jaws. If you look closely at a shark's face, you'll see tiny dots around its mouth that look like large blackheads. These vary in number depending on each species' hunting activity. Active sharks will have 1,500 or more, while the more sedentary ones have a few hundred [source: Parker].

The dots are open pores collectively called ampullae de Lorenzini. Filled with an electrically conductive jelly, the bottoms of the ampullae are lined with hairlike cells called cilia. Electrical currents travel through the jelly to the cilia. In humans, cilia inside of our ears alert our brains to noise when moved by sound waves. In sharks, the cilia respond to changes in nearby electrical currents transported by the jelly. The cilia trigger the release of neurotransmitters in sharks' brains, which tells them something alive looms close by.

The ampullae de Lorenzini compose part of sharks' lateral line. The lateral line is a sensory organ in many fish and amphibians that stretches down their sides from gills to tail. The long, hollow tube opens out into the skin at perforated scales. This system allows sharks to sense water displacement, pressure and direction.

The lateral line and electroreception, along with sharks' other senses combine to make them incredibly keen hunters. Since two-thirds of a shark's brain is devoted to smell, its olfactory sense can get the shark hot on the trail of its next meal even in dark waters [source: Parker]. It's only when the shark gets about 3 feet (1 meter) away from its target that electroreception kicks in to orient its jaws for an accurate, final attack [source: PBS]. For that last few feet of the attack, great white sharks actually roll their eyes back into their heads for protection and let electroreception take over navigation [source: Dingerkus].

In experiments testing sharks' electroreception skills, scientists have confirmed that the fish will indeed make last-minute feeding decisions based on electrical impulses. For example, when given the option between dead fish and an electrically charged rod, a shark will initially head for the fish, then alter its course toward the metal rod at the last minute [source: Fields]. Through this type of research, scientists are hoping to develop a shark deterrent that tricks its electroreception sense.

The power of electroreception also explains why sharks will continue attacking human victims even while being rescued by another person. Instead of going for the fresh meat of the rescuer, sharks will be repeatedly drawn to their previous victims because of the salt released from blood in the water [source: Viegas]. The higher salt concentration increases the intensity of the electrical field around the victim.

Since sharks can track electrical changes so well, scientists also are investigating whether electroreception plays a role in their navigation skills. Some theorize that the Earth's magnetic fields may interact with salt water to form electrical currents that sharks follow during migration [source: Parker].

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