Behavior Brief

A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research

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KENNETH CATANIA

Electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) can emit pulses of electricity as strong as 600 volts; scientists have long assumed the purpose of this behavior was to stun prey. But this Amazonian predator actually manipulates its victims by emitting electricity like a Taser, according to a study published this month (December 5) in Science.

Vanderbilt University biologist Kenneth Catania recorded the electric emissions of four hunting eels and filmed their movements with a high-speed camera. In one set of experiments, he removed the brains of small fish and put up an agar barrier between this prey and the eel. He found that the eel’s electric pulses caused involuntary muscle contractions in the fish.

Injecting the fish with curare, a compound that disrupts neuromuscular connections, made the fish ...

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