Electroreception and electrolocation in platypus.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal neurophysiological and behavioural laboratory study
PubMed 3945317 · doi:10.1038/319401a0
What was done
Researchers investigated behavioural responses to direct current (d.c.) and alternating current (a.c.) electric fields and measured cortical evoked potentials to test for electroreception in the platypus.
What was found
The platypus bill was shown to be an electroreceptive organ capable of locating and avoiding objects using d.c. fields, with behavioural and electrophysiological sensitivity of approximately 50 microV cm-1. High-frequency a.c. sensitivity was identified as a mechanism suitable for detecting muscle electrical activity of prey species.
Why it matters
This study provided the first evidence of electroreception and electrolocation in a mammalian species, indicating that electroreception evolved independently in monotremes.
Limits
The abstract does not state the number of animals tested, the specific testing conditions, or the variability across specimens. The findings represent animal physiology and do not involve human subjects.
Cited by
- contradicts The platypus uses its bill to emit electrical fields and detect objects in its environment.