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Sensory Anatomy
Ampullae of Lorenzini
Ampullae Lorenzinii
Pore-based electroreceptors around the head of sharks, rays, and chimaeras - detecting the electric fields of prey.
Region: Head Externally visible Unique to: cartilaginous
📖 Overview
Every muscle contraction, every heartbeat, every nerve impulse generates a tiny electric field. Sharks can detect fields as weak as 5 nanovolts per centimeter - roughly the strength of a AA battery connected across the Atlantic Ocean. This sixth sense lets them find prey hidden in sand, sense magnetic fields for navigation, and hunt in total darkness.
🧬 Structure
Small pores on the snout and jaw open into jelly-filled canals ending in bulbous ampullae lined with sensory cells. The jelly has one of the highest known biological conductivities.
✨ Fun Fact
Great white sharks can detect the electric field of a single flatfish buried in the sand from over a meter away - even before their eyes ever spot it.
🐟 Species Featuring This Structure
🔗 Related Sensory Structures