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Electric Eels

Electric eels aren't actually eels their actually in the classfication class of a carp or catfish. Many people think the electric eel is a saltwater fish but they're actually freshwater fish. The electric eel's body has about 6,000 specialized cells that are called electrocytes which are located in three specialized organs. These specialized organs store the cells away until they feel threatened.  Electric eels can exert a charge of up to 600 volts in order to stun prey and keep predators away. This is about five times the amount of electricity coming out of a standard wall socket. The eels live in small ponds and murky rivers of the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America. They mainly feed on smaller fish, but will also eat amphibians and even birds or tiny animals. The electric eel is about 8 feet in length, but can exceed that length and weigh around 44 pounds. Human deaths from electric eels are extremely rare, but multiple shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure. One interesting body feature about the eel that it has three sets of organs.

 The electric eel is actually an air breather. It stays near the surface of the water, but is related to the group of fish that are primarily bottom dwellers. The eel aslo has poor eyesight so the eel emits a low 10 volt burst of electricity that bounces off its surrounding area and tells the eel where obstacles and prey are. This is much like Kevin Matter's report on bats that use sonar to see things. The eel's average life span is around 15 years in the wild. It probabl has ay much longer lifespan in captivity where it is sheltered from predators.               

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