Tuning in to a tasty meal.Formally called Polyodon spathula, the paddlefish's common name stems from its long, bill-like appendage appendage /ap·pen·dage/ (ah-pen´dij) a subordinate portion of a structure, or an outgrowth, such as a tail. epiploic appendages see under appendix . . This endangered freshwater fish feeds on plankton plankton: see marine biology. plankton Marine and freshwater organisms that, because they are unable to move or are too small or too weak to swim against water currents, exist in a drifting, floating state. in the muddy rivers This article is about Nevada's Muddy River. For the Muddy River in Boston, Massachusetts, see Emerald Necklace. The Muddy River, formerly known as the Moapa River, is a short river located in the southern part of the state of Nevada, in the United States. it inhabits, and some ecologists speculate that the appendage helps the fish stir up the river bottom in its search for food. Xing Pei of the University of Missouri-St. Louis and his colleagues now suggest that this paddle serves as an antenna that directs the fish to food by detecting small electric signals emitted by moving plankton. The paddle has an array of cells that are sensitive to electricity, and the fish catch food efficiently in darkened dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. tanks. Moreover, the animals aggressively go after wires that emit a weak electric signal. "They're not that clever. They keep trying to bite the wire," says Pei. |
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