Selachians Extraordinary 249 



battery. Four large nerve trunks lead from a special "electrical lobe" 

 in the Electric ray's brain to the electric organs. The nerve trunks branch 

 out to form a complex network of fine filaments that connect with each 

 of the small disks. Thus, the Electric ray has voluntary control over its 

 unique organs, which it uses in defense and in stunning prey. 



From the organic battery comes electricity as real as man-made elec- 

 tricity. Like the power that surges from 110-volt household outlets, the 

 ray's electricity can produce a spark, make a bulb glow, deflect a com- 

 pass needle, and, when connected to a telephone, carry audible sound. 

 Repeated use of the powerhouse obviously tires the ray, which must 

 use up energy to produce its electricity. Successive bursts of electricity 

 become more and more feeble, and some time is required for the Elec- 

 tric ray to build up strength after it has emitted several shocks. The 

 maximum recorded voltage emitted by an Electric ray (Torpedo yiobili- 

 ana) is 220 volts. [The maximum of 550 volts was recorded for the so- 

 called Electric eel (Electrophonis electriciis) found in South America.] 

 A newborn T. nobiliana can generate electricity the moment it leaves 

 its mother's womb, though in the process of birth apparently the mother 

 receives no shocks from her galvanic offspring. 



This ray, also known as the Torpedo ray. Torpedo, Numbfish, and 

 Crampfish, is probably the largest of all Torpedinidae, growing to lengths 

 of at least 5, and probably 6, feet. The heaviest ray recorded weighed an 

 estimated 170 to 200 pounds. This Electric ray, commonly called the 

 Torpedo, is found on both sides of the Atlantic, from Scotland to the 

 Azores and tropical West Africa on the east; from Nova Scotia to North 

 Carolina on the west. It is also found in the Mediterranean, around the 

 Florida Keys, in the waters of Cuba, and has been reported in other 

 areas. 



The Torpedo's electrical shock is strong enough to stun a fisherman 

 who handles one or a bather who steps on one. A fisherman in Province- 

 town, Massachusetts, reported that he has often received potent shocks 

 "which have thrown me upon the ground as if I had been knocked down 

 with an ax." Skin-divers have received painful shocks after spearing a 

 Torpedo and then trying to pull out the metal shaft. 



The Torpedo does not get its name from a predilection for darting 

 through the sea like a torpedo. The name comes from the same Latin 

 word which gives us torpid, and torpid is the word for Torpedoes. 

 They spend much of their lives lying on the bottom, partially buried in 

 the sand and mud, where their dark coloring aids their concealment. 

 Apparently, Torpedoes stun their prey on contact. A 2-pound eel, a 

 1 -pound flounder and a salmon weighing nearly 5 pounds were all found 

 in the stomach of one Torpedo, and none of the victims had a mark on 

 its body. 



