The Elephantnose Fish possesses a trunk-like snout and a massive brain, sometimes their swimming manner conjures visions of jitterbugging, as if they stepped out of a science fiction novel as alien creatures. However, what’s astonishing is that these seemingly strange beings have the ability to emit and detect electric currents. Even in the muddy river beds shrouded in murkiness, they can pinpoint prey and locate potential mates with electrical precision. Cutting-edge scientific research has disclosed that these fish can amplify their electric sensory capabilities through group cooperation. In a study published in Nature magazine, scientists revealed that the Elephantnose Fish can receive electric pulse signals from their kind, achieving collective environmental awareness, a skill that potentially enhances their sensory range, allowing them to detect prey or potential threats at greater distances.
“We were surprised to discover that other fish’s electric pulses were not just some sort of background noise,” a neuroscientist from Columbia University said, “In fact, the Elephantnose Fish are leveraging the electric pulses of their peers for mutual benefit.”
Famed for their extraordinary intelligence and electric sensing capabilities, scholars have long studied the neural circuitry of the Peters’ Elephantnose Fish (Gnathonemus petersii). Inhabiting the freshwater rivers and lakes of Central and West Africa, these fish not only feature a distinctive snout but also boast a brain-to-body mass ratio that ranks among the highest in all vertebrates, including humans. Owing to their brain power, they are more efficient in using their abilities to emit and sense electric currents. While their electric generating capacity doesn’t match the high voltage output of electric eels or torpedo rays, they can produce electric pulses with their specialized electric organ in the tail. Typically, Elephantnose Fish emit electric pulses into their surroundings and receive the reflecting electric signals with tiny electroreceptors on their skin, a detection method akin to the echolocation of dolphins and bats.
Past research has focused on how Elephantnose Fish process their own electric pulses, with limited understanding of how they interpret the pulses emitted by other Elephantnose Fish and electrical perception within groups. To delve deeper into how these fish are influenced by each other’s electric signals, scientists conducted computer simulation experiments to model the electrical environment changes when Elephantnose Fish congregate. The study suggests that the simulated Elephantnose Fish could identify and connect to the electric pulses emitted by their peers. When one fish detects an electrical image of a nearby object, other Elephantnose Fish almost immediately capture the visual information procured by the initial perceiver. If three Elephantnose Fish approach the same object together, they can simultaneously receive different angular electrical images of it, aiding them in a more comprehensive “view” of their surroundings.
In Queen Mary University of London, zoologist Sarah Skillsclosely studied the electric sensing abilities of the Elephantnose Fish during her postgraduate research. She was amazed at their capability to transmit sensory experiences under unobstructed electric signals. Skillsc commented, “It appears that the Elephantnose Fish can use the signals of other fish to enhance individual perception of specific characteristics of objects, which is typically more vague when perceived by a single fish.”
Teamwork allows the electric fish to triple their sensory range. By utilizing the electrical impulses of other fish, individual electric fish can perceive the electrical characteristics of objects at a greater distance. Soeter explains: “The electric field decays rapidly with distance, but the electric fields emitted by other nearby animals can significantly expand the sensory range of an individual electric fish.” Compared to the similar strategy adopted in radar technology by humans, where electromagnetic pulses are transmitted and received by multiple transmitters and receivers, radar can detect distant objects more accurately.
The neural activity records of the electric fish provide validation for the researchers’ modeling results. Studies show that the part of the brain that controls the electro-sensory system can not only process signals from itself, it can also process external currents, including electrical pulses emitted by other fish species. The research team even observed the collective behavior of electric fish in a water tank, finding that they line up in straight lines or vertical formations, thereby maximizing their collective sensory capabilities.
Skiles mentioned that this is the first example discovered of electric fish having collective sensory abilities, and it’s very likely that it’s not the only case. Skiles further pointed out that there are hundreds of species of electric fish, many of which exhibit highly social behavior. For example, recent research revealed that electric eels can hunt collectively and synchronize electrical shocks on prey, suggesting that collective perception might be a fundamental component of how electric fish perceive the world.
Researchers Soeter and Pedraja both believe that the collective sensory abilities of the electric fish could potentially help humanity in the development of artificial sensing technologies, such as underwater vehicles. However, to fully utilize the capabilities of these fish, researchers still need to deeply understand the mechanisms of information processing within their brains. Soeter states: “We want to explore how the brains of these fish have been fine-tuned to such a state of perfection through millions of years of evolution, and how they handle complex streams of information.”
