Can a biological creature detect and absorb electricity from power sources?
Is it possible (either through genetic engineering or evolution) for a biological creature to be able to detect and absorb electricity from power sources like batteries or other animals?
I know that a shark can detect electrical fields (via its Lorenzini ampulae) in water, but can a biological creature detect it in the air?
If this can be done, how would it work? Absorption through touch? And can it discharge the stored electricity like an electric eel as a means of defense/hunting? What would happen to its victims if their electricity is drained?
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1 answer
Yes. You want a hornet-like platypus in the rainforest.
Hear me out.
Water conducts electricity substantially better than air, salt water in particular. Therefore, electroreception - the ability to detect electric currents - is far more common in marine life than terrestrial creatures. Now, it's not nonexistent in land animals; electroreception occurs in a select group of them, the monotremes. The platypus and echidna are notable examples. In particular, long-beaked echidnas live in damp areas of forests. The high humidity in the echidna's habitat makes it possible for it to detect sources of electricity, even weak ones. The platypus has an even more refined sense of electroreception, also enhanced in regions of high humidity.
Your animal will, therefore, likely live in a wet, moist, humid area, probably the tropics. A rainforest is a possibility - a habitat favorable to a platypus. Stay away from deserts and dry, barren areas. Furthermore, areas near lakes and streams might be preferable; the platypus can swim, and electroreception is even more valuable in the water than on land. That might also be a good evolutionary reason why your creature developed electroreception but lives on land: its recent ancestors were mainly aquatic.
We still have to deal with the question of how your animal absorbs, stores, and uses electricity. Absorption would likely happen via modified electrocytes. These are cells - found in certain electroreceptive animals - that use ATP and ion transport to generate electricity. I'd image that running the process in reverse - kind of like turning a motor into a generator - could then use the same pathways to generate ATP, which the animal would store for later.
When it comes to using the electricity, you might want to look at processes in the Oriental hornet, which uses sunlight to create an electric potential in its wings. The exact mechanism through which the hornet uses this is unknown, but it could be used for energizing muscles or for enzyme creation; the hornets are more active when their wings are exposed to more light. I suppose your creature could use the electricity directly for similar processes, or simply store it via ATP and use that for normal cell functions.
Of course, having electrocytes, or cells just like them, means that you should be able to generate electricity and use it to attack other animals. Many species do this, including the infamous electric eel. Now, for your terrestrial animal, attacking with electricity would likely only be a successful method in close quarters combat - remember that air isn't that conductive. Nonetheless, luring prey in until it's within striking distance and then discharging could still be an effective strategy.
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