what you don't know about electric fish

EStrongly electric fish are fish with an EOD that is powerful enough to stun prey. Typical examples are the electric eel, the electric catfishes, and electric rays. The amplitudeof the signal can range from 10 to 600 voltswith a current of up to 1 ampere, according to the surroundings, for example different conductances of salt and fresh water. To maximize the power delivered to the surroundings, telectric organ and the water must bematched:

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he impedances of the

• Strongly electric marine fish gives low voltage, high current electric discharges. In salt water, a small voltage can drive a large current limited by the internal resistance of the electric organ. Hence, the electric organ consists of many electrocytes in parallel. Freshwater fish have high voltage, low current discharges.
• In freshwater, the power is limited by the voltage needed to drive the current through the large resistance of the medium. Hence, these fish have numerous cells in series.