Trystan Casey
Electric eels are not actually true eels, despite their name. They are neotropical freshwater fish from South America, and are more closely related to knifefish, catfish and carp. Electric eels are highly unusual fish, as they are able to generate electricity to stun their prey, protect themselves from predators, and to hunt in dark and murky waters. They can produce up to 860 volts of electricity, which is created by special cells called electrocytes. These cells are located in the eel's electric organ, and they work together to generate a substantial electric shock.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Species | Electrophorus electricus |
| Family | Gymnotidae |
| Subfamily | Electrophorinae |
| Genus | Electrophorus |
| Common name | Electric eel |
| Habitat | Quiet, slow-moving waters of oxbow lakes, streams, pools, and flooded forests of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers |
| Geography | Northern South America (Brazil, the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) |
| Diet | Fish, crustaceans, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and small vertebrates |
| Length | 6-8 feet (2-2.5 meters) |
| Weight | 44 lbs (20 kg) |
| Color | Brown to black with a yellow or red underbelly |
| Scales | Nearly scaleless |
| Vision | Poor |
| Respiration | Obligate air-breathers |
| Electricity | Up to 860 volts |
| Purpose of electricity | Defense, hunting, communication, and navigation |
| Type of fish | Neotropical freshwater fish |
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What You'll Learn
Electric eels are not true eels, but knifefish
Electric eels are not true eels but knifefish. They are members of the electroreceptive knifefish order Gymnotiformes, which is more closely related to catfish and carp than to other eel families. They are native to the northern neotropical regions of South America, including Brazil, the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Electric eels inhabit the quiet, slow-moving waters of oxbow lakes, streams, pools, and flooded forests of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. They prefer side channels but can also be found further inland.
The electric eel, or Electrophorus electricus, was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 based on early field research conducted by Europeans in South America. The species was initially placed in the same genus as Gymnotus carapo, the banded knifefish. However, in 1864, Theodore Gill reclassified the electric eel as part of its own genus, Electrophorus. This genus is believed to have split from its sister taxon Gymnotus during the Cretaceous period.
Electric eels have long, stout bodies that are somewhat cylindrical at the front and flattened towards the tail end. They can reach lengths of up to 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) and weights of up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds). Their skin is smooth, thick, and brown to black, with a yellow or red underbelly and no scales. Electric eels have a small or reduced caudal fin and lack pelvic and dorsal fins. Instead, they use an elongated anal fin to propel themselves through the water, allowing them to swim forward, backward, or hover while searching for prey.
One of the most distinctive features of electric eels is their ability to generate electricity. They possess three specialized electric organs—the main electrical organ, the Hunter's organ, and Sachs' organ—which make up about 80% of their body. These organs enable them to produce two types of electric discharges: low voltage and high voltage. The maximum discharge from the main organ can reach at least 600 volts, making them the most powerful of all electric fishes. This electrical ability is used for defense, hunting, communication, and navigation.
In addition to their electric capabilities, electric eels have poor vision but are able to locate prey using electroreceptors derived from the lateral line organ in the head. They are also able to detect slight pressure changes in the surrounding water through motion-sensitive hairs along their bodies. Electric eels are obligate air-breathers, periodically surfacing to breathe air instead of breathing underwater through gills like true eels.
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They are obligate air-breathers
Electric eels are obligate air-breathers, meaning they surface for air periodically. They are specially adapted to thrive in poorly oxygenated waters. Their mouths are heavily vascularised with folds that increase the surface area, allowing them to breathe air rather than relying on gills in warm, anoxic waters.
Obligate air-breathing is a vital adaptation for electric eels as they inhabit environments with low oxygen levels. During the dry season, large groups of fish become isolated in small streams and pools with limited oxygen availability. By being able to breathe air, electric eels have an advantage over other fish that rely solely on gills for respiration.
The ability to breathe air provides electric eels with greater flexibility in the habitats they can occupy. They are commonly found in the quiet, slow-moving waters of oxbow lakes, streams, pools, and flooded forests of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. These environments can have varying oxygen levels, and by being obligate air-breathers, electric eels can adapt to these changing conditions.
Additionally, their air-breathing ability influences their behaviour and survival strategies. During the wet season, when rivers swell and reconnect bodies of water, electric eels disperse and expand into new territories. As the water recedes in the dry season, they become more vulnerable to predators hunting in the shallow waters. The ability to surface for air allows them to navigate these seasonal changes and survive in a range of aquatic habitats.
The obligate air-breathing adaptation of electric eels is a unique feature that sets them apart from other fish. It enables them to thrive in a variety of aquatic environments, particularly those with low oxygen levels. This adaptation, combined with their electric capabilities, makes electric eels well-adapted predators and survivors in their ecosystems.
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They can generate up to 860 volts of electricity
Electric eels are a genus of neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to stun prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks of up to 860 volts. This makes them the strongest known bioelectric generator.
The electric eel's electrical capabilities were first studied in 1775, which later contributed to the invention of the electric battery in 1800. The electric eel is the closest thing nature has to a living, breathing battery. They are packed with thousands of electrocytes, which are modified muscle cells that can generate their own electricity.
The electric eel species Electrophorus voltai is the strongest bioelectricity generator in nature, capable of generating 860 volts. This species was discovered in 2019 and primarily lives in the southern Brazilian Shield, a highland region.
Electric eels have three pairs of electric organs: the main organ, Hunter's organ, and Sachs' organ. These organs give electric eels the ability to generate low- and high-voltage electric organ discharges. The main organ is responsible for the highest-voltage discharges, with a maximum of at least 600 volts. The high-voltage discharges are used to stun prey, while the low-voltage discharges are used for navigation and communication.
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They use electricity for defence, hunting, communication and navigation
Electric eels use their electric capabilities for defence, hunting, communication and navigation. They can generate up to 860 volts of electricity, with the strongest electric pulses produced by the main electrical organ, and two-thirds of the Hunter's organ. The remainder of the Hunter's organ and the Sachs' organ produce weaker electric discharges.
Electric eels use their electric shocks for defence by delivering powerful electric shocks to deter predators. They can also leap out of the water to deliver electric shocks to threatening animals. During the dry season, the electric eel is at greater risk from predators, and its ability to generate powerful electric shocks is an effective defence mechanism.
Electric eels also use electricity to stun and catch prey. They can electrolocate their prey using electroreceptors derived from the lateral line organ in the head. They can also concentrate the discharge to stun prey more effectively by curling up and making contact with the prey at two points along their body. It has also been suggested that they can control their prey's nervous systems and muscles via electrical pulses, keeping prey from escaping, although this has been disputed.
Electric eels are not the only fish to communicate using electric organ discharges. More than 220 species of South American knifefish in the electric eel's lineage use this method of communication and detection. They can interpret information about other individuals in the water, including their sex and sexual receptivity, which is important during the breeding season.
Electric eels use electrolocation to navigate, which is facilitated by the Sachs' organ, which can emit signals at rates of several hundred hertz.
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They are top predators
Electric eels are top predators in their ecosystem. They are apex predators, meaning they are not prey to any other animal in their environment. However, they are sometimes hunted by large mammals that hunt outside their habitat. Electric eels use their electric shocks to stun or kill prey and defend themselves from predators. They can generate up to 860 volts of electricity, with some sources placing this figure at 800 volts.
The electric eel's ability to produce electricity is a highly effective hunting mechanism. When an electric eel identifies prey, its brain sends a nerve signal to its electric organ, releasing the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and triggering an electric organ discharge. This generates an electric current that stuns the prey. In addition to stunning prey, electric eels can also kill their prey with electric shocks. They have been observed hunting in packs, herding shoals of fish and launching joint strikes on closely packed prey.
Electric eels are also able to use their electric discharges for defence against predators. They create strong and weak electric charges, with the stronger charges being used for defence and hunting. The main organ, supported by the Hunter's organ, is used to stun prey or deter predators by emitting signals at several hundred hertz. The Sachs' organ, meanwhile, is used for electrolocation and produces discharges of around 10 volts at a frequency of about 25 Hz.
The electric eel's ability to produce electricity is especially useful given its poor vision. Electric eels are mostly nocturnal and have limited eyesight, so they rely on low-level electrical pulses to navigate and explore their surroundings. They also have motion-sensitive hairs along their bodies (the lateral line system) that help them detect prey in the dark and murky waters they inhabit.
In addition to their electric capabilities, electric eels have other adaptations that make them effective predators. They have long, cylindrical bodies that can grow to over 8 feet in length and weigh up to 45 pounds. Their mouths are adapted for breathing air, which is essential for surviving in the poorly oxygenated waters they inhabit. They also have a special mucous membrane in their mouths that can absorb oxygen from the air, further aiding their respiration.
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Frequently asked questions
Electric eels are neotropical freshwater fish from South America. They are known for their ability to generate electricity and stun their prey.
Electric eels have special cells called electrocytes located in their electric organs. These cells produce an electric current through a chemical reaction. The cells work together to generate a substantial electric shock.
Electric eels use electricity for defence against predators, hunting prey, communication, and navigation. They can also interpret information about other individuals in the water, such as their sex and sexual receptivity.
No, electric eels are not considered "true" eels (Anguilliformes). They are more closely related to knifefishes in the order Gymnotiformes and are more closely related to catfish and carp than to other eel families.
