In the rivers of Niregia in Central Africa, there exists a fish that measures about 10 cm in length, characterized by a peculiar shape. Its mouth resembles that of a whale, which has led to its nickname: the Elephant Shark.
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(Photo: lynxcs.com.au) |
The Elephant Shark thrives in murky river waters, possessing two degenerated eyes and poor eyesight. However, the muscle tissues around its tail can emit a series of electrical pulses that help it gather information about its surrounding environment.
Under normal conditions, the Elephant Shark generates between 300 to 500 electrical pulses per minute. Yet, when the river water becomes polluted, its pulse rate can quickly increase to over 1000 pulses per minute. The higher the level of water pollution, the greater the frequency of its electrical pulses.
Due to this unique characteristic, the electrical pulse signals emitted by the Elephant Shark are easy to trace. British scientists have proposed using these electrical signals to assess water quality. By measuring the frequency of the electrical signals produced by the Elephant Shark, they can effectively gauge the level of water pollution, yielding surprisingly ideal results.
