Trystan Casey
The electric eel is a formidable foe for any potential predator. With the ability to generate an electrical charge of up to 860 volts, it is a highly effective hunter and can deter most predators. However, it is not invincible. During the dry season, when water levels are low, electric eels are at greater risk from large mammals that hunt from outside the shallow waters they inhabit. In addition, some fish species, such as peacock bass cichlids, have been observed attacking stunned prey, and electric eels themselves occasionally engage in social predation, herding small fish into prey balls and launching joint strikes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Can electric eels kill humans? | Yes, but human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare. |
| How can they kill? | Electric eels can generate up to 600 volts of electricity, enough to incapacitate or potentially kill a human, especially if multiple shocks are involved. |
| How do they use electricity? | They emit a low voltage for navigation and high voltage bursts for hunting or defense. |
| What do they do when they attack prey? | They give off a full volley of high-voltage pulses, then rapidly strike at the prey and suck it into their mouth. |
| How do they hunt? | They can hunt alone or in packs, depending on the species. |
| What do they eat? | They mainly eat fish, but also amphibians, birds, and small mammals. |
| How do they look? | They have long, cylindrical bodies and flattened heads and are generally dark green or grayish on top with yellowish coloring underneath. |
| How big are they? | They can exceed 8 feet in length and 44 pounds in weight. |
| Where do they live? | They live in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, in the muddy river bottoms and swamps of upland or lowland waters, depending on the species. |
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What You'll Learn
Electric eels can produce 600 volts of electricity
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to produce a powerful electric shock, which they use to stun prey and keep predators at bay. This shock can be as high as 600 volts, which is enough to incapacitate or even kill a human, especially if multiple shocks are involved.
The electric eel's scientific classification is closer to carp and catfish than to true eels. They can grow to over 8 feet in length and weigh more than 44 pounds. Despite their serpentine appearance, they are not actually eels. Their bodies contain electric organs with about 6,000 specialized cells called electrocytes that store power like tiny batteries. Each of these cells produces about 0.15 volts of electricity. When the eel is threatened or attacking prey, these cells discharge simultaneously to create the powerful electric shock.
Electric eels use their electrical abilities to navigate, hunt, and defend themselves. They emit a low voltage of less than 10 volts to navigate and locate prey, using it like radar due to their poor eyesight. When attacking or defending, they discharge a high voltage of up to 600 volts. This high voltage shock is enough to stun or kill surrounding animals, including humans.
While human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare, there have been documented instances of serious injury or death, primarily due to drowning or heart failure induced by the shock. The eel's shock can cause respiratory or heart failure, and people have been known to drown in shallow water after being stunned by the jolt. It is important to note that electric eels can deliver a more powerful shock when leaping out of the water, as they perceive a greater threat in this situation.
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They use electricity to navigate, hunt and defend themselves
Electric eels use electricity to navigate, hunt and defend themselves. They have three special organs that help them create electricity: the main organ, the Hunter's organ, and the Sach's organ. These organs take up about 80% of the eel's body and allow them to produce electric impulses of different strengths, which perform different functions.
The main organ and part of the Hunter's organ produce strong electric shocks that can ward off predators or stun prey. The Sach's organ and the other half of the Hunter's organ produce weak electric impulses, which the eels use to navigate, seek out prey, and signal one another for courtship during the breeding season.
Electric eels have very poor eyesight and rely on their electrolocation abilities to navigate the murky backwaters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. They emit electricity to navigate in murky waters or at night. They can also use electricity to communicate with one another.
Electric eels can also use electricity to hunt. They can leap out of the water and attach the most positively charged part of their body—their chin—to a predator. This creates a powerful closed electrical circuit that delivers a highly powerful jolt to deter the predator. They can also work together to herd prey into a small space and issue coordinated electric shocks to stun their prey.
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Electric eels are not true eels
Electric eels can grow to more than 8 feet in length and weigh almost 50 lbs. They have long, cylindrical bodies and flattened heads and are generally dark green or grayish on top with yellowish coloring underneath. Their vital organs are contained in just one-fifth of their body, directly behind their head. Electric eels are top predators, with few other animals willing or able to take on these highly charged fish.
Electric eels have three electric organs that contain cells called electrocytes. When the electric eel senses prey or feels threatened by a predator, electrocytes create an electrical current that can release up to 600 volts. This is enough to incapacitate or potentially kill a human, especially if multiple shocks are involved. These eels use their electrical ability to navigate, hunt, and defend themselves, emitting a low voltage for navigation and high-voltage bursts for hunting or defense.
While true eels are elongated finned-fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, electric eels are knifefish with no dorsal fin and a long, extended anal fin. Electric eels are also found in fresh waters, unlike true eels, which mostly live in salt water. Electric eels are more closely related to carp and catfish.
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They are closer to carp and catfish
Electric eels are not actually eels at all—they are more closely related to carp and catfish. They are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order Gymnotiformes, which is more closely related to catfish. Electric eels are also known as Electrophorus electricus, a name derived from the Greek words for "electricity bearer".
These electric fish can generate up to 600 volts of electricity, which is enough to incapacitate or potentially kill a human, especially if multiple shocks are involved. They use this electrical ability to navigate, hunt, and defend themselves. They emit a low voltage of less than 10 volts to navigate and high-voltage bursts to hunt or defend. Electric eels have poor eyesight, but they can emit a low-level charge that helps them locate prey.
Electric eels are nocturnal, obligate air-breathing animals with poor vision. They are capable of hearing and have a unique ability to survive in habitats with varying oxygen levels, including streams, swamps, and pools. They grow throughout their lives, adding more vertebrae to their spinal column, and can exceed 8 feet in length and 44 pounds in weight.
Electric eels are widely distributed across northern South America, including Brazil, the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. They inhabit the quiet, slow-moving waters of oxbow lakes, streams, pools, and flooded forests of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. They are well-adapted to their environment and surface for air periodically.
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Human deaths from electric eels are rare
Electric eels are not actually eels but a type of electric knifefish that can grow to be more than eight feet long and weigh over 44 pounds. They are found in the murky backwaters of the Amazon basin in South America and get their name from their ability to produce an enormous electrical charge—up to 600 volts of electricity. This charge is used to stun prey and keep predators at bay.
Despite their powerful voltage, human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare. However, it is possible for an electric eel to kill a human, especially if the person is shocked multiple times. A single jolt from an electric eel can incapacitate a person, causing them to drown, even in shallow water. Multiple shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure.
There are a few documented instances of electric eel shocks causing serious injury or death, primarily due to drowning or heart failure induced by the shock. In one such incident, a man from Brazil caught an electric eel while fishing in the Amazon. When he left to retrieve a knife, a caiman approached the eel. It is unclear what happened next, but the event was captured on video footage that later went viral.
It is important to note that electric eels are not out to get you. It is rare to stumble across one unless you are fishing, and even then, protective gear like electric-shielding rubber gloves and boots can prevent a shock.
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Frequently asked questions
Electric eels can generate an electrical charge of up to 600 volts, or even 860 volts according to some sources, in order to stun prey and keep predators at bay. They are top predators, with few other animals willing or able to take them on. Human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare, but multiple shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure, and people have been known to drown in shallow water after a stunning jolt.
Electric eels have long, cylindrical bodies and flattened heads. They are generally dark green or grayish on top with yellowish colouring underneath and can exceed 8 feet in length and 44 pounds in weight.
Yes, you can eat an electric eel, but they are not a good source of food because they are very bony and provide very little sustenance.
