The album was licensed to several labels around the world and was released in October 2009. An electric eel can voluntarily control these organs to discharge electricity. ... accounts for the severity of it. Two new electric eel species have been identified in the Amazon basin, including one fish with a record-breaking shock, scientists say. Some common "facts" about them are just plain wrong. Most people don't know much about electric eels, except that they produce electricity. All rights reserved. Popular Science may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. At present, the electric eel is the only species in its genus. I may update with visuals and details if I can find good ones. Juveniles feed primarily on invertebrates, and newly hatched electric eels will eat remaining, unhatched eggs. But it packs a punch, able to discharge a single shock in excess of 860 volts – more powerful than any other electric eel on record. The average shock from an electric eel lasts about two-thousandths of a second. Although not endangered, electric eels only live in one small region of the world and are hard to keep in captivity, so most people have never seen one. When they mass together, the group of eels is called a swarm. An electric eel has three organs in its abdomen that produce electricity. The shocking ability of electric eels also protects them from predators. The shock may kill the fish prey, but it will at least stun them long enough for the electric eel to make a capture. Eels mate during the dry season. Normally, the shock can't kill a person. The shock from an electric eel can be very painful because the voltage is high, although it isn’t likely to seriously harm an animal as large as a person. The Sach's organ is used for electrolocation. However, if an eel is injured, the wound can make the eel susceptible to electricity. The electric eel was first described by Linnaeus in 1766 and since then, has been reclassified several times. After all, the electric eel uses their electric organs to capture and stun prey. Patches on the eel's body contain high frequency-sensitive receptors, which give the animal the ability to sense electromagnetic fields. Electric eels may also use their ability to shock other animals to defend themselves against predators and perceived threats. They use electric discharges both to stun prey and as a means of defense. Juvenile fish eat small invertebrates, including crabs and shrimp. The electric eel is one of the most electrified fish when it comes to shock value. The three electrical organs are developed from muscle and exhibit several biochem… It's okay to be confused; scientists have been for many years. It is only found in muddy, shallow waters surrounding the Amazon and Orinoco rivers in South America. Source: Pixabay Electric eels are famous for a reason. Smaller fish deliver less current, which produces a tingle rather than a shock. The fish lack scales and have poor eyesight but have enhanced hearing. A Bonnier Corporation Company. The critters are native to South American rivers, but they don’t spend all their time underwater. Electric eels are one of Nature's most unique creatures with the ability to generate electricity from its own body. The Egyptian name for the electric catfish translates as "angry catfish." Venomous Sea Snake Facts (Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae), A Biography of Michael Faraday, Inventor of the Electric Motor, Nurse Shark Facts: Description, Habitat, and Behavior, Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College. It lives in the rivers of the Amazon and can grow up to 8 feet long. And other questions about the historic storms in the US. In addition to defense, electric eels … Before you press to read more, we’ll give you a clue, […] Despite the name, it is not Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 28). Copyright © 2021 Popular Science. Whether the shock of an electric eel is fatal also may depend on the size of the eel, which, by the way, isn't actually an eel at all. Support Valuable Become a Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/valuableHow do electric eels shock you?Can an eel kill you? They come in a range of colors, including purple, gray, blue, black, or white. For now, let’s go easy on you, and give you a single electric eel in an average size swimming pool. In the wild, electric eels live about 15 years. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. However, the eels can cause heart failure or respiratory failure from multiple shocks or in persons with underlying heart disease. In captivity, they may live 22 years. Electric eels do endanger themselves by generating electricity. Lurking in the waters of the Amazon basin is a new species of electric eel that scientists say can generate a greater electrical discharge than any other known animal. The electric eel is only one of about 500 species of fish capable of delivering an electric shock. An adult may weigh 20 kilograms (44 pounds), with males being much smaller than females. https://www.thoughtco.com/electric-eel-facts-4148012 (accessed February 21, 2021). The Main organ and Hunter's organ consist of about 5000 to 6000 specialized cells called electrocytes or electroplaques that act like tiny batteries, all discharging at once. Electric catfish live in Africa, mainly around the Nile River. Although electric eels don’t hunt humans and aren’t something we should be afraid of in our daily lives, they will definitely shock you if they think you’re a threat — or something they could eat. In other words, only 20 percent of an eel is devoted to its vital organs. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Electric Eels Have Organs for Producing Electricity, Victoria Stone & Mark Deeble / Getty Images. The electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is a fish classified in the order Gymnotiformes and is a cousin to the carp and catfish. These organs make up four fifths of its body, and give the electric eel the ability to generate two types of electric organ discharges: low voltage and high voltage. They electrocute other nearby electric eels, not … There are a few theories, but none have been proven definitively yet as to why eels are protected from their own electric charge. An eel just doesn’t produce enough energy to shock itself. Electric eels are solitary creatures. Attie Bauw, (Judas Priest, Scorpions) who produced the last two EES albums, was at the controls again, only this time he engineered the basic tracks and Electric Eel Shock took the production reins on the album themselves. Electric eels, which are technically not eels but knifefish, are capable of emitting a shock of up to 600 volts —a force more powerful than a Taser—that they use in the wild for hunting prey. De Santana and his team first observed the electric eels hunting in a group in 2012. Each electrocyte only generates 0.15 volts, but in concert, the cells can produce a shock up to 1 ampere of electrical current and 860 watts for two milliseconds. Initially, the fry eat unhatched eggs and smaller eels. ThoughtCo. A shock from an electric eel is like the brief, numbing jolt from a stun gun. While an electric eel is fully submerged, its electrical discharge is weaker because the shock is distributed throughout the surrounding water. Eels have been known to jump out of the water to shock prey or dissuade threats in the air. So electric eels are unlikely to cause a damaging electric shock to humans but it's still not going to be a very pleasant experience to be on the receiving end of one and an impressive 2m long pet electric eel probably isn't a very good idea. These organs are made of electrocytes, lined up so a current of ions can flow through them and stacked so each one adds to a potential difference. Is this winter weather ‘normal’? Crowdfunding Shocking Electric Eel Facts. At 860+ volts, Volta’s can deliver a debilitating shock to creatures several times their size. Here's what you need to know. Their heft means they pack a harsh electrical discharge, too: one more powerful than any true eel on record. Researchers at Vanderbilt University say they've observed electric eels using a unique leaping shock attack to defend themselves when threatened. While the fish live in water and possess gills, they breathe air. Over 100 individuals seemed to work together to herd and kill prey so that the entire shoal could feed. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. It’s True: Electric Eels Can Leap From the Water to Attack June 6, 2016—Electric eels leaping from the water deliver a more powerful shock to an … When an eel senses prey, a nervous impulse from the brain signals the electrocytes, causing them to open ion channels. How is it, for example, that electric eels can manipulate the nerves of other fish without making themselves flail or freeze? The female lays her eggs in a nest the male constructs from his saliva. The eel can vary the intensity of the discharge, curl up to concentrate the charge, and repeat the discharge intermittently for at least an hour without tiring. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Automate your cleaning with 62 percent off a robotic vacuum cleaner, Get your youngsters started with coding and robotics with these fun kits. Electric Eels Breathe Air. Electric eels can reach 6 feet (2 meters) in length and weigh nearly 45 pounds (20 kg). When the channels are open, sodium ions flow through, reversing the polarity of the cells and producing an electric current in much the same way a battery works. Electric rays can also generate electricity, while sharks and platypuses detect electricity but don't produce shocks. These electric fish deliver enough electricity to stun an adult human but are not fatal. “Nobody knows how this is happening,” Dr. Catania said. The inner ear is connected to the swim bladder by small bones derived from vertebrae that increase hearing capacity. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Shocking Electric Eel Facts." Adult electric eels are generalist carnivores, eating fish, crustaceans, insects and small vertebrates, such as amphibians, reptiles and mammals. They don't just discharge to try to kill you for no reason generally, but you never know. So how do they not shock themselves? The simple answer is that electric eels insulate their critical tissues with a layer of fat below the skin, preventing the shock from traveling through their body as the "path of least resistance".
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