Passive electroreception is the ability to perceive electric fields in water. It is found mainly in different fish species as well as in the monotremes or in the Guiana dolphin. In this dissertation, it was investigated whether bottlenose dolphins also possesses this sensory ability. In a complex behavioral experiment, four dolphins learned to respond reliably to weak electric fields in water. For two of the animals, a detection threshold for direct current and low-frequency alternating current electric fields was determined, establishing passive electroreception as a sensory modality.<eng>
