 Dear students, in this topic we shall discuss the electroreception. You know that all organisms produce weak electrical signals due to the activity of nerves and muscles. Electroreception is the ability to detect electric fields generated by these activities of animals by the animal itself or by other animals which are present in the aquatic environment. Electroreception is an important sense in aquatic environments. This sense is present in many fishes and amphibians. In mammals, an aquatic mammal which has a duck-bill platypus also has the sense of electroreception. Electroreceptors which can electroreception, they are spread in the head and trunk regions of fishes. These electroreceptors are linked with the lateral line system. The electroreceptors of duck-bill platypus are present on its bill. They detect electric fields which are generated by the muscles of animals which are living in their habitat, that is the crustaceans, frogs, small fishes and the other animals which are their prey. Now we shall discuss the mechanism of electroreception. The current in the water enters the animal through sensory pores present in the epidermis of skin. The pores of the skin have an electroreceptor cell on their base. This electroreceptor is actually a hair cell but it is modified and it has lost its cilia. This means that the hair cell which is without cilia works as an electroreceptor. The electroreceptor has synaptic connections with the axons of 8th cranial nerve. The 8th cranial nerve that is involved in the electroreception in these animals. This nerve actually innervates the lateral line system. The lateral line system has been supplied to the brain from this nerve and this nerve is involved in electroreception. The information sent from electroreceptors through this 8th cranial nerve is processed and interpreted in the cereblum area. Dear students, now we shall discuss the uses of electroreception. What is the significance of electroreception? The ability to detect electric fields helps a fish or other animal to find mates, capture prey, avoid predators and orient towards or away from certain objects. This sense is especially valuable in deep, turbulent or murky waters where vision is of little importance. Some fishes use this sense of electroreception in communication with each other. This type of communication is called electrocommunication. These fishes detect the electric fields produced by the members of their own species as a result they recognize each other and communicate with each other. Some fishes also use this sense for electrolocation. Such fishes have a specialized electric argon in them which produces the electric current. The electric current produced in this manner is produced on the end of the fish and it goes towards the anterior end. So this generates an electric field around the fish body. Electroreceptors are generated from which the electric current is generated and the electric field is generated by the fish. Any object that enters this field detects that the electric field is broken and where it is. This means that they can detect the intruders that are entering the field. This is the sense which is called electrolocation.