Molly Ayala
Electric eels are snake-like fish with the ability to deliver powerful electric shocks of up to 860 volts, which they use to defend themselves, hunt, navigate and communicate. Despite their name, they are more closely related to carp and catfish than to other eels. So, how does the electric eel store electricity? Electric eels have a highly specialised nervous system that can synchronise the activity of disc-shaped, electricity-producing cells called electrocytes, which are packed into three separate organs in their body. These electrocytes are arranged like stacks of batteries, with each cell carrying a negative charge on its outside compared to its inside. When activated, the current generated by an electrocyte shocks its inactive neighbour into action, creating a short-lived current along the eel's body.
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What You'll Learn
- Electric eels have a specialized nervous system that synchronizes the activity of electricity-producing cells
- The electric organ, made up of electrocytes, is key to an electric eel's ability to produce electricity
- The electrocytes are arranged like stacks of batteries, with a positive and negative side
- The eel's size means it is unaffected by its own shocks
- The eel's electric organ is also protected by layers of fat, insulating it from the rest of the body
Electric eels have a specialized nervous system that synchronizes the activity of electricity-producing cells
Electric eels have a highly specialized nervous system that can synchronize the activity of disc-shaped, electricity-producing cells. These cells, called electrocytes, are packed into a specialized electric organ. The nervous system uses a command nucleus to decide when the electric organ will fire. Once the command is given, a complex array of nerves ensures that the thousands of cells activate at once, regardless of their distance from the command nucleus.
Each electrocyte carries a negative charge of approximately 100 millivolts on its outside compared to its inside. When the command signal is received, the nerve terminal releases acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. This creates a transient path with low electrical resistance, connecting the inside and outside of one side of the cell. The electrocytes are arranged in series, like batteries in a flashlight, and are activated simultaneously when the eel is excited, such as when capturing prey or defending itself.
The electric eel's body functions similarly to a battery, with cells stacked to produce a desired total voltage output. The eel's electric organ is made up of thousands of electrocytes, which are modified muscle cells. These cells have both a positive and a negative side, and when triggered, they discharge an electrical impulse. The electric eel's three electrical organs—the main organ, the Hunter's organ, and the Sach's organ—make up about 80% of the eel's body.
The main organ and the Hunter's organ produce strong electric shocks that can ward off predators or stun prey, while the Sach's organ and the other half of the Hunter's organ produce weaker electric impulses used for navigation, seeking prey, and signalling to other eels for courtship. The simultaneous activation of thousands of electrocytes allows the electric eel to generate powerful electric shocks for defence, hunting, and communication.
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The electric organ, made up of electrocytes, is key to an electric eel's ability to produce electricity
Electric eels are long, cylindrical fish with flattened heads. They can grow to more than 2.5 metres in length and weigh up to 22 kilograms. They have very poor eyesight and rely on their electrolocation abilities to navigate the murky backwaters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers.
Electric eels have three special organs that help them create electricity: the main organ, the Hunter's organ, and the Sach's organ. Together, 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 electric organ discharge is controlled by the medullary command nucleus, a nucleus of pacemaker neurons in the brain. Electromotor neurons release acetylcholine to the electrocytes, which fire an action potential using their voltage-gated sodium channels on one side or, in some species, on both sides.
The South American electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) can produce voltages as high as 600 volts. The flow (amperage) of the current is sufficient (0.25–0.5 ampere) to stun, if not kill, a human. The electric organ is, therefore, an essential tool for the eel's survival, allowing it to stun prey and deter predators.
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The electrocytes are arranged like stacks of batteries, with a positive and negative side
Electric eels are like living batteries. They have stacks of modified muscle cells called electrocytes, which have both a positive and a negative side. These electrocytes are specialised cells that produce electricity and are found in three separate organs: the main organ, the Hunter's organ, and the Sach's organ.
The electrocytes are arranged in a series, like stacks of batteries, with each cell carrying a negative charge on its outside compared to its inside. When a command signal is given by the eel's nervous system, a neurotransmitter is released, triggering the electrocytes to discharge an electric impulse.
The current generated by an activated electrocyte then "shocks" its inactive neighbour into action, creating an avalanche of activation. This results in a short-lived current flowing along the eel's body, which can be discharged into the surrounding water.
Each individual electrocyte only produces a small voltage, but by having many of them connected and operating together, electric eels can combine their electric output to generate a substantial shock. This arrangement of electrocytes, similar to stacks of batteries, allows electric eels to produce powerful electric shocks for defence, hunting, and communication.
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The eel's size means it is unaffected by its own shocks
Electric eels are long, cylindrical fish with flattened heads that can grow to more than 2.5 metres in length and weigh up to 22 kilograms. They are not closely related to true eels but are members of the knifefish order Gymnotiformes. They are found in the freshwaters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers of northern South America.
Electric eels have very poor eyesight and rely on their electrolocation abilities to navigate the murky backwaters of these rivers. They also use weaker electric impulses to navigate, hunt and communicate.
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The eel's electric organ is also protected by layers of fat, insulating it from the rest of the body
Electric eels are like living batteries. They have stacks of modified muscle cells called electrocytes that have both a positive and a negative side. These electrocytes are located in the eel's electric organ. This electric organ takes up about 80% of the eel's body and allows it to produce electric impulses of different strengths. The electric organ is made up of thousands of disc-shaped, electricity-producing cells that are connected to each other.
The eel's electric organ is protected by layers of fat, insulating it from the rest of the body. This insulation ensures that the electric organ is isolated from the rest of the eel's body, preventing any self-inflicted shocks. The positioning of the electric organ at the end of the eel's body, away from the brain, further safeguards the eel from shocking itself.
The fat insulation surrounding the electric organ is essential for the eel's survival and ability to navigate its environment. Electric eels have very poor eyesight and rely on their electrolocation abilities to navigate the murky backwaters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. The insulation allows them to use their electric shocks for defence against predators, stunning prey, navigation, and communication without harming themselves.
The protection provided by the layers of fat enables electric eels to fully utilize their electric organ for various functions, contributing to their survival and adaptation to their specific ecological niche.
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Frequently asked questions
Electric eels have a highly specialised nervous system that can synchronise the activity of disc-shaped, electricity-producing cells. These cells, called electrocytes, are located in the eel's electric organ and are stacked together like batteries. The rapid transfer of sodium ions along the length of these electrocytes generates an electric current.
The electric eel's electric organ takes up about 80% of its body. The electrocytes in this organ have both a positive and a negative side, and when triggered, they discharge an electric impulse.
Electric eels use strong electric shocks to ward off predators or stun prey. They also use weaker electric impulses to navigate, hunt and communicate.
Electric eels can produce a powerful shock of up to 860 volts of electricity, nearly four times the voltage of a standard UK plug socket. This is enough to kill a human, although it rarely occurs.
There are a few possible explanations for why electric eels don't shock themselves. One is that the severity of an electric shock depends on the amount and duration of the current flowing through a given area of the body. Therefore, the small animals close to the eel get shocked, rather than the eel itself. Another explanation is that layers of fat insulate the electric organ, protecting the rest of the body.
