 |  |  ElectroreceptionHold your hands out about three feet apart. That's about the distance at whichsome large sharks can sense electric fields given off by prey. Move your handsso that they are about six inches apart. Smaller sharks detect electricfields at that distance. All living things (even you) produce an electric field, given off by eachheartbeat and muscle movement. A shark has special receptors located around thehead that detect electric fields. These receptors can help a shark find a fishhidden under the sand by detecting its heartbeat. A shark also uses this senseto position its head and mouth when moving in for the final attack. This is theonly sense a shark has that you don't share. Cocos Island | Sharkmasters |World of Sharks | DispatchesE-mail |Resources |Site Map | Sharks Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule | About NOVA Watch NOVAs online | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Search | To Print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated June 2002 |
