Ampullae of Lorenzini

Ampullae of Lorenzini are sensory organs in cartilaginous fishes that detect weak electric fields in water. Their jelly-filled canals connect skin pores to receptor cells.

Electroreception: Electroreception is the detection of electric fields by biological sensory systems. The ampullae are a specialized form of electroreception in aquatic vertebrates.
Electrolocation: Electrolocation is the use of electric-field information to detect or locate objects. Ampullae reveal how nearby organisms distort the electric fields that reach a fish.
Stefano Lorenzini: Stefano Lorenzini was an Italian physician and naturalist who described the organs now bearing his name. His anatomical account established the ampullae as a distinct feature of shark heads.
Elasmobranchii: Elasmobranchii is the subclass of cartilaginous fishes that includes sharks, rays, and skates. Ampullae are characteristic sensory organs of elasmobranchs.
Tuberous electroreceptor: A tuberous electroreceptor is an organ specialized for detecting higher-frequency electric signals, found in some fishes. Unlike ampullae, it is tuned to rapid signal changes rather than weak direct-current fields.
Electroreceptor: An electroreceptor is a sensory cell or organ that detects electric fields or electrical changes. Receptor cells in each ampulla respond to voltage differences between the pore and body interior.
Shark predation: Shark predation is the capture and consumption of prey by sharks. Ampullae can help sharks detect prey whose weak bioelectric fields persist when hidden.
Observations on the Torpedo: Observations on the Torpedo is Stefano Lorenzini’s 1678 work describing anatomical structures in electric rays. Lorenzini described the pores and canals that later became known as ampullae of Lorenzini.
Cartilaginous fish: Cartilaginous fishes are vertebrates whose skeletons are made primarily of cartilage rather than bone. The organs occur in this fish group, especially sharks and rays.
Electrogenesis: Electrogenesis is the production of electric fields or discharges by an organism. Ampullae sense electrical fields; electric organs generate them.

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