If you are fond of Hollywood movies, there are chances that you have seen an electric eel in action. You might have wondered whether it is true. Yes, it is. This amazing creature can produce electricity! How do electric eels create electricity? Are they dangerous to humans? Let us find out some amazing facts about electric eel.
They are not eels
An electric eel is not exactly an eel. It is closely related to a knifefish or catfish. Electric eel has been named so as it has a snake-like long and cylindrical body resembling eels. The scientific name of electric eel is electrophorus electricus. Electric eels can grow up to 8 feet in length. They are dark grey in color.
This is one species of water animal which left the scientists confused for decades. They were not sure as to which genus was appropriate for inclusion of electric eels. After several re-classifications, electric eels are currently the only ones in their genus.
Electric eel habitat
Electric eel is a native of South American waters. It is commonly found in the basins of the Amazon River and Orinoco River. Electric eels can be found in swamps, small rivers, and creeks too. They prefer to live in muddy or stagnant waters.
Electric eels cannot live in the deep sea. Unlike other fish, they cannot breathe underwater. They breathe through air. So they need to come to the surface quite often for inhaling air.
Poor eyesight
Among all the amazing facts about electric eel, this is a shocking one. The creature which can produce electric currents turns out to be blind! Although they are not totally blind, their eyesight is highly impaired.
So how do electric eels catch their prey? They use their electric signals to locate their prey. These signals also help them to navigate.
How do they produce electricity?
Electric eels have special organs for generating electric current. These organs constitute four-fifths of their entire body. These special organs are made up of electrocytes, and are arranged consecutively so that electric current can easily flow through them.
There are around 6,000 electricity-generating cells stacked up together in the body of an electric eel! They can generate up to 860 volts of electric current. When the electric eel senses a prey, its brain sends a signal to the electrocytes through the nervous system. The process of electricity emission begins immediately.
Purpose of electric eel shocks
There are two main reasons why electric eels display this terrific behavior. First is that they want to attack a prey. When an electric eel find its prey, it uses an electric emission to stun and paralyze it. After this, it feeds on the prey. The second purpose of electric emissions is to scare off its predators. No predator will dare to go near a glowing eel.
Electric eels can produce two types of electric currents, low voltage and high voltage. Low voltage currents are used to sense the surroundings. High voltage currents are used to detect and stun the prey.
What do electric eels feed on?
So we discussed many amazing facts about electric eel. We understood that they use electricity to catch their prey. But what is the food they eat? It is mostly invertebrates that they feed on. Large eels also eat fish, rats, and small mammals.
New-born eels feed on other eggs in the cluster. They search for other clusters of eggs and steal them too. Young ones are fond of crabs and shrimp.
Unique attack techniques
The attacking technique of electric eels is undoubtedly unique. There are few animals who use electricity to capture their prey. They can make use of their electric abilities to control their prey’s nervous systems and muscular systems.
Moreover, electric eels can leap from water to inflict electric shocks on victims. The rate of electric emissions are found to be higher when they perceive any threat to their survival.
Can an electric eel kill you?
The answer to this is yes and no. Generally speaking, electric eels are not a threat to humans. They cannot feed on us. They won’t attack us unless they feel threatened. But if attacked, the shock can paralyze us temporarily.
Sometimes, people lose their consciousness as a result of the shock. Drowning has been reported in such cases. So when in an encounter with an electric eel, maintain a distance.
Can an electric eel injure itself?
Electric eels have electricity generated in their own body. So a natural question arises how they can be immune from the shock. Electric eels have thick skin which protects them from the ill-effects of their own electric emissions. But if there is an injury on the body of an electric eel, it will be affected. How about getting a taste of one’s own medicine?
How to catch an electric eel?
Electric eel lives in shallow and muddy waters. So there is no need of a deep-sea adventure to capture them. But their electric shocks are constant threats for wannabe capturers. The most commonly used method is to make them lose their electric charge by continuous discharge. Once they are exhausted of all the charge, it is easy to capture.
Did you enjoy the amazing facts about electric eel? If you are interesting in grabbing more knowledge, go to our Fascinating Facts section.
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