Response of juvenile scalloped hammerhead sharks to electric stimuli

Sharks can use their electrosensory system to detect electric fields in their environment. Measurements of their electrosensitivity are often derived by calculating the voltage gradient from a model of the charge distribution for an ideal dipole. This study measures the charge distribution around a dipole in seawater and confirms the close correspondence with the model. From this, it is possible to predict how the sharks will respond to dipolar electric fields comprised of differing parameters. We tested these predictions by exposing sharks to different sized dipoles and levels of applied current that simulated the bioelectric fields of their natural prey items. The sharks initiated responses from a significantly greater distance with larger dipole sizes and also from a significantly greater distance with increasing levels of electric current. This study is the first to provide empirical evidence supporting a popular theoretical model and test predictions about how sharks will respond to a variety of different electric stimuli.