Electric Fish Engage In Shocking Mating Ritual

Some African fish signal their amorous intentions by exchanging bursts of electrical impulses, a new study has found. The behavior is similar to the courtship duets of songbirds, say researchers who studied the African electric fish known to scientists as Brienomyrus brachyistius. Like other members of the elephantfish family, the fish produce weak electrical fields using specialized organs in their tails. Previous studies had found that males used certain electric pulses during aggressive encounters. But until now, the love life of electric fish was largely a private matter, said Carl Hopkins of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York...