13 Shocking Facts About Electric Eels

13 Shocking Facts About Electric Eels

1. The Electric Eel Family Tree

Electric eels aren’t actually eels. They’re members of the knife fish family.

2. Eels Must Breath Too

The critters are native to South American rivers, but they don’t spend all their time underwater. They have to come to the surface to breathe.

3. An Electric Eel's Vital Organs

All of an electric eel’s vital organs are crammed into the front 20 percent of its body. The rest is packed with 6,000 cells that act like tiny batteries.

4. 600 Volts Of Pure Power

With 6,000 cells that work similar to batteries it is no wonder an eel can zap out more than 600 volts!

5. Attack Of The Eel Hunter

An eel’s voltage is great for defense, but it also comes in handy for stunning prey, mostly crustaceans and small fish.

6. Electric Eels Are Blind

Electric eels can’t see what they’re shocking. They’re mostly blind and use a radar-like system of electrical pulses to navigate and find food.

7. Thick Skin For Protection

An eels’ thick skin will normally insulate them from their own attacks, but when wounded, they’ll shock themselves!

8. Does Size Matter?

A fully grown electric eel can be up to eight feet long and weigh 44 pounds!

9. Eels Vs Humans

Fatal attacks on humans are rare, but that doesn’t mean eels are harmless. People have drowned after being shocked.

10. How Electric Eels Lays Eggs?

At breeding time, the males will make a nest out of saliva and then the females will lay up to 17,000 eggs.

11. The Lifespan Of The Electric Eel

In captivity the electric eel can live up to 35 years. In their natural habitat the life span is a little shorter at 30 years. One of the reasons that they are so prolific and survive so well is because of their ability to ward off predators.

12. Two Electric Eel Predators

The electric eel only has two predators, the Caiman (a relative of the crocodile) and man. The Caiman will only attempt to eat an electric eel out of desperation. Humans are the biggest threat to these creatures. Humans like to hunt and capture them for their skin.

13. Two Million Years With No Change

The electric eel has not moved up the evolutionary scale at all. Studies show that it has remained the same for over 2 million years or so.