Page 82 - Design in Nature

80 DESIGN IN NATURE

ELECTRIC FISH
The Electroshock Gun in the Electric Eel
The electric eels, whose lengths sometimes exceed 6.6 feet (2 metres),

live in the Amazon. Two-thirds of the bodies of these fish are covered with
electrical organs, which have around 5,000 to 6,000 electroplaques. Thus,
they can produce charges of 500 volts of electricity at about two amperes.
This is roughly equivalent to more power than a conventional TV set utilises.

The faculty of generation of electricity has been given to these creatures
for purposes both of defence and offence. The fish uses this electricity to kill
its predators by giving them an electric shock. The electric shock generated
by this fish is enough to kill cattle from a distance of 6.6 feet (2 metres). The

electricity-generating mechanism of this fish is capable of engaging as
quickly as in two to three thousandth of a second.
Such an immense power in a creature is a tremendous miracle of
creation in itself. The system is quite complex and cannot possibly be

explained through "step by step" development. That is because an electrical
system without full functionality could not bring the creature any advantage
in terms of survival. In other words, all components of the system must have
been created perfectly at the same time.

Fish that "See" By Means of an Electrical Field
Apart from fish armoured with potential electric charges, there are
other fish that generate low voltage signals of two to three volts. If these fish
do not use such weak signals for hunting or defence, for what could they be

possibly used?
Fish utilise these weak signals as a sensory organ. Allah created a
sensory system in the bodies of fish, which transmits and receives these
signals. 30
The fish produces emissions of electricity in a specialised organ on its

tail. The electricity is emitted from thousands of pores on the creature's back