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I am thinking of copying the design of an electric eel to create the horn, however as air is not a good conductor of electricity it cannot discharge any electrical shock unless there is a physical contact.
Can you help me to come up with a believable unicorn that can stun its predator from at least a few meters away, and also how it prevents electrocuting itself or its own kind?
The unicorns are symbiotic with a jumping spider species, residing on the horn.
The horn is kept at (or can be quickly charged to) a sufficient high potential, and the jumping spiders can be directed to jump on the target while threading a thin wire of cobweb attached to the horn.
As the spider or a group of spiders land on the target the circuit is closed and the target is zapped.
Alternative to the spiders: the unicorn can blow mucus covered particles to the target, with the particles keeping a thin slimy rope of mucus attached to the horn. Zap as above.
Pick the one more suited for your story and stomach.
The solution is Lasers
Simply, much like a Narwhal* the Unicorn can shoot lasers out of it's horn. From there, it's not too much of a stretch to allow for the possibility of an Electric Unicorn to discharge it's built up charge along the laser-induced plasma channel immediately after firing it's horn-laser, in much the same manner as an Electrolaser.
*Apocryphal
A chemically pumped laser seems like something an electric unicorn would have. This is why I love this site.
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Apr 11, 2018 at 20:48
While it is true that air does not conduct electricity as nicely as water, it is also true that there is no (engineering) problem that cannot be solved by judicious application of brute force.
Lightning is a thing after all, so we know a discharge will happen in air if there is sufficient difference in electric potential.
Copy the design of the eel. This is what the wiki says about it:
In the electric eel, some 5,000 to 6,000 stacked electroplaques can make a shock up to 860 volts...
Now notice what the wiki says about its typical dimensions:
The electric eel has an elongated, cylindrical body, typically growing to about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length, and 20 kg (44 lb)...
If your unicorn weights as much as a draft horse... let's say one metric ton. It will have enough size and mass to have a lot more electroplaques. A back-of-the-napkin calculation says that, keeping the same volts-to-mass ratio, the unicorn will be able to produce 43,000 volts. You can buff that up - nothing is keeping the unicorn from having even more electroplaques. Let's say the unicorn is able to produce 50,000 volts. That is about as much as a typical low end Tesla coil:
The high electric field causes the air around the high voltage terminal to ionize and conduct electricity, allowing electricity to leak into the air in colorful corona discharges, brush discharges and streamer arcs.
A pointy part in a body is much more likely to produce a discharge than a round part or a toroid, so the horn is perfect for shooting out lightning. As for how the beast does not fry itself, it may have glass or some other very good electrical insulator material in its hooves.
Judicious application of brute force is a great phrase. Sounds very similar to the idea of "percussive maintenance".
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The horn has a tiny hole in the end. The unicorn can pump a saline solution out through this hole - like a spitting cobra or bombardier beetle - which acts as a conductive stream from horn to target.
Additionally, this liquid contains a paralytic agent, causing "tingles" that aren't actually caused by the initial, brief, jolt of electricity.
A unicorn has tall, non-conductive hooves, which prevent them from 'grounding', and protects them from accidental shocks. Young unicorns, who have not yet learned to completely control their bioelectric-capacitors yet, are thus prone to accidentally shocking themselves while eating.
In order to avoid electrocuting itself it could simply have tissues that are highly conductive (potentially metal) as skin.
It will act as a Faraday cage leaving all other tissue mostly unharmed.
Why would this be a problem? No, air isn't as conductive as water. But electricity can travel through the air for several miles at sufficient voltages. Machines can generate sparks multiple meters long. Even the tiny static spark that you get from rubbing your sock on the carpet and touching a grounded object can be three or four centimeters.
But natural creatures don't generate voltages that high
You are talking about a literal unicorn. Some creative license is allowed. Electrocuting itself isn't a problem for the same reason it isn't a problem in real-world electricity-generating animals: their bodies are adapted to it as a natural function.
If you really must include some vague science, say that there are at least two separate organs, or parts to the single organ, that generates the electricity: a low-voltage power supply and a transformer. Stun guns ramp up quite low voltages (household batteries, maybe 20 volts at most) to tens of thousands of volts to make their sparks. The unicorn has a structure that, in addition to simply generating a current, transforms that current into a higher voltage, accumulates a charge over short amounts of time and releases it in bursts. (Note that most of what we see as sparks, lightning included, are bursts of accumulated charges and not continuous streams).
Hope this helps!
You are talking about a literal unicorn. Some creative license is allowed. Thank you! +1
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Apr 11, 2018 at 20:48
By projecting water droplets in an arc towards it's target allowing the electricity to conduct through the air between the unicorn and it's aggressor.
It goes without saying that these droplets would create an arch of different colours caused by the refraction and dispersion of the sun's light. I imagine these colours would be red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The unicorn will still be electrocuted but to a lesser degree. Thinking of it like a circuit, the current will follow the path of least resistance more readily than the higher one. (Assuming that there is a path between the unicorn and the intended target. )
Adding resistance to the unicorn`s biology would be in the form of insulation. An example is keratin which is less electrically conductive. Insulation could be placed strategically to protect vital organs from the "recoil".
Body size may also play a role here. If the unicorn is much bigger than the target, the charge may be sufficient to stun the smaller organism but not enough to harm the unicorn itself.
The unicorn has a coat of gold (or some other metal, but probably only in the silver, platinum, etc. variety because unicorns). Each hair, particularly in its mane and tail, are basically long, sharp needles. The unicorn can somehow embed these needles into other creatures or objects, maybe by rubbing on it or flinging the needle-hairs with majestic head shakes or glorious tail flicks.
Any object that has a long, sharp, conductive antenna (like golden hair-needle-spikes) will attract the high voltage discharge from the unicorn. All the unicorn needs to do is get one of its hairs embedded into its target, then release its electrical fury.
Additionally the metallic coat can do other things like ground the unicorn and protect itself like a Faraday cage. Not only that, but its valuable pelt would be sought after by evil unicorn-hunting villains.
Air is a fantastic conductor as a plasma.
Simply turn the air in a column between the horn and the target into a plasma. Boom, instant lightning gun.
Granted... you'd have to explain why the unicorn doesn't just cook the target with the plasma canon.
The spirals of the horn form a resonant cavity with the atmosphere. The unicorn's horn is literally linked to the air and charges up. You know how lightning works.
See tesla coil on youtube.
