Gone fishin'

Associate Professor Troy Smith records the communication signals of electric fish in a channel at Catalão near the confluence of the Negro and Solimões (Amazon) Rivers in Brazil. Electrodes at the ends of the probes are placed in floating vegetation in the channel. Portable recording and playback devices in the canoe allow him to record the electric communication signals of knifefish and to play back the signals of other electric fish.

See electric fish demonstrations in Jordan Hall A110 at 9:30am, 10:30am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm. Watch a live demo of how fish from South America use electricity to communicate with each other and find their way around—in the dark. Meet IU researchers who study these fish, and witness this “secret sense” in action! Limited to the first 35 to 40 participants (room capicity) for each demonstration.