Shockers of the Sea and Other Electric Animals
Be prepared for an electrifying experience!
You have heard of the electric eel, of course. But do you know about the other unusual creatures that use electricity to stun prey, to communicate, and even to find other animals in murky water? Meet snout fish, the electric catfish, stargazers, the axolotl, and other species, and learn how they create and detect electricity to help them survive.
Caroline Arnold first learned about electric fish when she was researching her book for older readers, Electric Fish (Morrow Junior Books, 1980.) In this new title, written for younger children and illustrated with rich full-color paintings by Crista Forest, she includes the latest research on these fascinating creatures and explains how they use their ability to make and feel electricity to survive in their damp or watery world.
For people, the electric sense is hard to imagine. You and your friends might like to try this game to find out what it would be like to navigate with electricity. The person who is "it" stands in the center of the circle and wears a blindfold. The other people quietly arrange themselves inside the circle without touching anybody. As he or she approaches someone, that person must blow lightly. The "it" person then veers away from the puff of air just as an electric fish might veer away from a rock or other obstacle. Can you get out of the circle without bumping into anyone