Knifefish Suck So Hard They Can Make Water 'Boil'
By Ross Pomeroy - RCP Staff
November 03, 2020
Biologists Victor M. Ortega-Jimenez and Christopher P. J. Sanford at Kennesaw State University have discovered that black ghost knifefish can create suction with enough speed and power to make water cavitate, a form of boiling, in laboratory settings. Cavitation creates bubbles which form and collapse in the blink of an eye, producing powerful compressional waves and extremely high temperatures in the process. It results from sudden, immense changes of pressure.
Ortega-Jimenez and Sanford detailed the amazing underwater feat in a paper published last week to the journal Scientific Reports.
Black ghost knifefish natively dwell in the rivers of Panama and South America, but are popular in home aquariums across the world. They primarily eat riverine insects and perform most of their hunting at night. Knifefish are known for their remarkable electrical senses, and sport an electric field-producing organ used mostly for navigation and communication.
Ortega-Jimenez and Sanford knew of these fascinating traits when they purchased four black ghost knifefish at a local pet store in Kennesaw, Georgia, but the duo had a sneaking suspicion that there were more abilities waiting to be revealed.
More:
https://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2020/11/03/knifefish_suck_so_hard_they_can_make_water_boil.html