Electrocytes

Electrocytes are modified cells present in electric eels, rays, and other saltwater fish that allow them to generate an electric field, used to deter prey and disable predators. The organs that electrocytes make up resemble a biological battery, operating under the same principles as "ordinary" batteries.

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History

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Anatomy

Electrocytes arise as modified muscle cells, with a flat disc shape. Each individual electrocyte functions by actively pumping positive Na+ and K+ ions out through the cell membrane, giving the cell an overall negative charge. Several thousand electrocytes are stacked into a striated tissue, forming an electric organ. Depending on the fish, the number of organs can vary - weakly electric fish may have only one, while electric rays possess two and electric eels possess three.

Firing

To "fire" the electric organ, nervous signals are sent to receptors on the electrocytes. These signals open up Na+ channels, flooding the cells with a positive charge and reversing the polarity. This sudden change in electric potential causes an electric field to be created, and the subsequent current flow out of one end of the fish and into the opposite end, forming a loop. These firing events can generate a large amount of voltage - in electric eels, it can be up to 860 volts for 2 milliseconds,

Function

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Similarity to mechanical batteries

As in batteries, the flow of ions is utilized to produce a current that flows from one end of the circuit to the other. Also, the striation of the electric organs is comparable to batteries connected in series, increasing the overall potential difference generated and thus enabling the fish to emit a stronger electric field.

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