One of the primary functions of nervous systems is to extract information from the outside world and use that information to guide and coordinate behavior. When studying a particular nervous system, it is therefore important to consider the ecological context and evolutionary forces that have shaped that animal's natural behavior. With this in mind, we study weakly electric fishes as a model system for understanding sensory coding and brain evolution. We are interested in how neural circuits accomplish specific behavioral tasks, as well as how changes in neural circuitry mediate evolutionary change in behavior. We employ a wide range of techniques, including in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, anatomy and histology, imaging, computational modeling, behavioral observation and playback, and field work.