One of the most harmless-looking fish swimming in South American rivers can deliver a blow stronger than a stun gun. The electric eel has special cells lined along its body that can send a charge of 650 volts through the water. That's enough electricity to knock over a horse!
Electric Lineup: The organs that create this eel's electricity are called electroplates. By itself, each electroplate can produce only a small charge, but the eel has up to 200,000 of them lined along its tail that work together.
High Tech: An electric eel's eyesight is poor, but it has a unique navigation system. Some of the eel's electroplates generate a low-voltage electric field around the fish. Anything in the eel's way changes the field so the eel can avoid obstacles.
Shock Value[]
Eels lurk near the bottom of the river.
The electric eel's super charge is not only good for fending off predators, but the electricity is an effective weapon. The high-voltage shock can even stun or kill creatures in the water from up to 20 feet away. That gives the electric eel plenty of time to locate the helpless victim and swallow it whole.
Fin Flapper: The electric eel swims by rippling its anal fin, which is located on the underside of the body. The fin stretches along 80 percent of the eel's body length, enabling it to maneuver easily in tight spaces.
Color of Mud: Electric eels are brown to olive-green in color. This helps them blend with the muddy waters of their habitat and prevents predators from spotting them too easily.
Voltage Victim[]
- A plant-eating tapir innocently steps into the water of the Amazon to take a quick drink. Because the water is so muddy, the mammal doesn't notice three electric eels swimming nearby.
- Even an accidental bump is enough to trigger a high voltage shock out of the eels. The pulse form one eel is enough to at least stun the tapir, but the triple-shots stops its heart almost instantly.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The electric eel is not a true eel; it is a type of knifefish.
- The electric eel is mentioned on the Long-Nosed Elephant Fish's knowledge card, comparing the two fishes' use of electricity.
- Despite not being a Monsters of the Deep (both due to their habitat and their card group), the electric eel is present on the Monster Recharge for Monsters of the Deep cards.