One species of electric eel, Electrophorus voltai, has recently been observed living and hunting in groups of up to a hundred individuals. Their collective hunting strategy and high discharge helps them overwhelm active shoals of small prey.
Most of the day and night eels rest as a group at the bottom of lakes.
At dawn and dusk, when light intensity is low, they migrate to a shallow hunting area.
Herding thousands of small fish into a prey ball, they take turns zapping them.
Stunned fish fly up, fall back into the water, and get swallowed alive.
Seven minutes later they zap again. In about one hour eels can launch five to seven predatory attacks.
When it comes to electricity generation, E. voltai reigns supreme among all three electric eel species. Their charge can be seven times stronger than a wall socket’s.
E. voltai
860 V
E. varii
572 V
E. electricus
480 V
120 V
E. voltai
860 V
E. varii
572 V
E. electricus
480 V
120 V
Electric eel anatomy is very unique. Eighty percent of the body is taken up by three electric organs, confining the vital organs to a small area behind the head.
Sachs’s electric organ
Main
Vital organs
Hunter’s
Max. length: 8 ft
Sachs’s electric organ
Main
Vital organs
Max. length: 8 ft
Hunter’s
Intestine
Pores in the head and body have receptors that detect electrostatic fields.
Stomach
Liver
Heart
Breathing organ
Thousands of excitable cells called electrocytes make up the eel’s electric organs. The voltage one individual can generate is the sum of all the small charges produced by the electrocytes.
Spinal cord
Swim bladder
Pores in the head and body have receptors that detect electrostatic fields.
Kidney
Stomach
Intestine
Liver
Heart
Thousands of excitable cells called electrocytes make up the eel’s electric organs. The voltage one individual can generate is the sum of all the small charges produced by the electrocytes.
Breathing organ
Spinal cord
Swim bladder
Pores in the head and body have receptors that detect electrostatic fields.
Kidney
Stomach
Intestine
Liver
Heart
Thousands of excitable cells called electrocytes make up the eel’s electric organs. The voltage one individual can generate is the sum of all the small charges produced by the electrocytes.
Breathing organ
Spinal cord
Swim bladder
Pores in the head and body have receptors that detect electrostatic fields.
Kidney
Stomach
Intestine
Thousands of excitable cells called electrocytes make up the eel’s electric organs. The voltage one individual can generate is the sum of all the small charges produced by the electrocytes.
Liver
Heart
Breathing organ
Electric eels are found in tropical South America. E. varii evolved in lowland waters that were murky, slow flowing, and mineral-rich. E. electricus and E. voltai adapted to highland rivers where water is clear and mineral-deprived.
E. varii
7.1 million years ago
E. electricus
3.6 mya
E. voltai
GUYANA
SURINAME
COLOMBIA
AMAZON
ECUADOR
BASIN
BRAZIL
PERU
500 mi
500 km
E. varii
7.1 million years ago
E. electricus
3.6 mya
E. voltai
GUYANA
SURINAME
FRENCH GUIANA (FR.)
COLOMBIA
AMAZON
Eel sample
ECUADOR
BASIN
PERU
BRAZIL
500 mi
500 km
Development: Kennedy Elliott, NG staff. Video: Douglas Bastos and Gabriel Verçoza. Sources: David Santana, Smithsonian Institution; Douglas Bastos, INPA; Philip Stoddard, Florida International University