Electric eels have intrigued scientists and curious minds for centuries. Even the famous naturalist Charles Darwin found them puzzling. So, what makes electric eels so special?
Despite their name, electric eels aren’t true eels. They are actually a type of knife fish that live in the Amazon River Basin in South America. While many fish use electrical fields to sense their surroundings, electric eels are unique because they can generate a powerful electric charge strong enough to stun or even kill small prey.
Electric eels have special muscle cells called electrocytes that work like tiny batteries. These cells are stacked together, and an eel can have up to 6,000 of them. Each electrocyte has a negative charge inside and a positive charge outside, with a potential of 0.08 volts. When an eel spots prey, these cells open up, allowing sodium ions to flow and change the polarity, creating an electric current. When all the cells work together, the charge can reach up to 600 volts!
Although their shock is powerful, it’s not enough to kill a human because the shocks are delivered very quickly, in milliseconds. However, it’s enough to stun a small fish. Electric eels also use a low-voltage shock to help them hunt, similar to how bats use sonar. This allows them to detect nearby fish.
Electric eels use their electric shocks for more than just hunting. A study in the journal Nature Communications found that eels can use their electric attacks both as a weapon and as a sensory tool. When they find prey, they can send out two quick high-voltage discharges, called doublets, which make the prey’s muscles contract. This movement creates ripples in the water, helping the eel determine if it’s a living creature. The shock can even freeze the prey by affecting its nervous system.
For larger prey, eels can increase their electric output. A study in the journal Current Biology discovered that eels can double their shock by curling into a circle, bringing their positively charged head closer to their negatively charged tail.
While an electric eel’s shock isn’t deadly to humans, it can be quite painful, like touching an electric fence. So, it’s best to admire them from a distance. If you’re curious about electric eels, you can follow Miguel Wattson, an electric eel at the Tennessee Aquarium, who tweets whenever he zaps!
Electric eels and sharks often get a bad reputation, but there are some freshwater animals that can be even scarier. For more information, check out episodes featuring four freshwater animals more terrifying than sharks.
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Using materials like clay, wires, and small batteries, create a model of an electric eel. Pay attention to how the electrocytes are arranged and explain how they generate electricity. Present your model to the class and describe the process of electricity generation in electric eels.
Design a simple board game or digital simulation where you play as an electric eel. The objective is to hunt prey and avoid predators using electric shocks. Include rules that simulate the use of high-voltage and low-voltage shocks. Share your game with classmates and discuss strategies for successful hunting.
Research the Amazon River Basin and the natural habitat of electric eels. Create a presentation that includes maps, images, and information about the ecosystem. Highlight how electric eels adapt to their environment and the role they play in the ecosystem.
Conduct an experiment using simple circuits to understand how electric eels generate electricity. Use batteries, wires, and light bulbs to create circuits that mimic the electrocytes’ function. Record your observations and explain how this relates to the electric eel’s ability to produce electric shocks.
Write a creative short story from the perspective of an electric eel. Describe a day in the life of the eel, focusing on its hunting techniques and interactions with other creatures. Share your story with the class and discuss the unique adaptations of electric eels.
Electric eels have fascinated scientists and the public for hundreds of years. Even Charles Darwin was puzzled by them. What is the secret behind an electric eel’s unique ability?
Electric eels are some of the most remarkable organisms on this planet. They can harness the power of electricity to hunt. However, electric eels aren’t actually eels; they are a type of knife fish found in the Amazon River Basin in South America. They are just one of many fish that use electrical fields for sensory perception, but they are the only ones with a charge strong enough to be lethal.
Electric eels and other similar fish have modified muscle cells that stack on top of each other, functioning like batteries. In fact, Alessandro Volta modeled batteries after electric eels! Typically, an electric eel can have as many as 6,000 of these cells, called electrocytes. These cells have a negative charge inside and a positive charge outside, with each cell having the potential of 0.08 volts. While this may not seem like much, when the eel spots potential prey, these cells open up, allowing sodium ions to change the polarity. This creates an electric current, and when all the cells are stacked together, the charge can reach as high as 600 volts in some species.
While that sounds impressive, it’s not enough to kill a human, as the shocks are delivered very quickly, in a matter of milliseconds. However, it is certainly enough to stun a small fish. Interestingly, electric eels also have a low-voltage version of their shock that helps them hunt. These electric shocks function similarly to sonar used by bats, allowing them to sense if any fish are nearby.
Moreover, their powerful shocks serve a dual purpose. One study published in the journal Nature Communications found that the eel can use its electric attack both as a weapon and as a sensory system. Once they hone in on their prey, they can send out two closely spaced high-voltage discharges, known as doublets, which cause the prey’s body to contract involuntarily. This movement sends ripples through the water, helping the eel determine if it’s a living creature and potentially prey. It can even cause the fish to “freeze” by shocking their neurological system, rendering them immobile.
For larger prey, an eel may need to increase its power. A recent study published in the journal Current Biology found that eels can boost their electric output by curling into a circle, bringing the positively charged head closer to the negatively charged tail. This allows them to double their shock.
While their shock isn’t lethal to humans, it can be quite painful, similar to running into an electric fence. So, it’s best to avoid trying to catch one.
If you’re interested in learning more about electric eels, check out Miguel Wattson, an electric eel at the Tennessee Aquarium, who sends out tweets whenever he zaps!
There are also many other animals that can be quite dangerous. Electric eels and sharks often get a bad reputation, but there are some freshwater animals that can be even more terrifying. For more information, check out the episode featuring four freshwater animals more terrifying than sharks.
If you like the shirt I’m wearing, you can get one of your own! Check out our full range of DNews shirts and merchandise through the link in the description.
Electric – Related to or operated by electricity, which is a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles. – Electric currents are used in biology to study the nervous system and how signals are transmitted in the body.
Eels – A type of elongated fish that can generate electric fields, often found in freshwater and marine environments. – Electric eels are fascinating creatures that can produce strong electric shocks to defend themselves and capture prey.
Electricity – A form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles, such as electrons or protons, either statically as an accumulation of charge or dynamically as a current. – Scientists study electricity to understand how electric eels generate power to stun their prey.
Charge – A property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field, often described as positive or negative. – The electric charge of particles in an eel’s body helps it create a powerful electric field.
Prey – An animal that is hunted and killed by another for food. – Electric eels use their electric shocks to immobilize their prey before consuming it.
Electrocytes – Specialized cells in electric fish that generate electricity. – The electrocytes in an electric eel’s body work together to produce a high voltage shock.
Voltage – The difference in electric potential between two points, which causes electric current to flow in a circuit. – The voltage produced by an electric eel can be strong enough to deter predators and capture prey.
Hunting – The activity of searching for and capturing or killing animals for food. – Electric eels are adept at hunting in murky waters where they use electric fields to locate their prey.
Shock – A sudden discharge of electricity through a part of the body or a material. – The electric shock from an eel can be powerful enough to stun a human temporarily.
Amazon – A large river in South America, home to diverse ecosystems and many species, including electric eels. – The Amazon River basin provides a perfect habitat for electric eels, where they thrive in its vast network of waterways.
