WASHINGTON — There’s a new way to learn about electric fishes at Smithsonian’s National Zoo. A new, multisensory exhibit will feature LED lights, monitors and speakers — all powered by electric fishes.
The zoo’s new Electric Fishes Demonstration Lab opens 10 a.m. Friday and will feature a 5-foot-long electric eel, four black ghost knifefish, blunt nose knifefish and three elephant-nose knifefish.
According to the National Zoo, when the electric eel emits a charge, the lights, screen and speaker will activate. The eel’s tank detects the eel’s pulses through four metal strips and converts them to sound, voltage and light. The electric eel can generate up to 800 volts of electricity. The eel sends out weak pulses to help it navigate and powerful charges to help it catch prey.
The exhibit also features a life-size model of an eel from which visitors can feel the eel’s currents for themselves. The model has a positively charged head and a negatively charged tail, according to the zoo; it vibrates and sends a weak electrical charge to those who hold the head and tail at the same time.
Also at the lab, visitors can hear the different sounds of the blunt nose knifefish and the black ghost knifefish.
