Strong Electric Discharge Freshwater Fish - Electric Eels
Electric Eel, is a freshwater fish species known for its ability to emit short bursts of powerful electric discharges, with a stout, elongated body that can reach up to 250 cm in length.It inhabits the Amazon and Orinoco River basins of South America, being nocturnal and primarily preying on small fish. Despite its name 'eel', the electric eel is more closely related to catfish in biological classification.
The electric eel's discharge ability comes from its specialized muscle tissue comprising an electric organ. Muscle tissue can discharge almost entirely, accounting for over 80% of its body length, with thousands of discharge units.
The electric eel's head is a positive electrode, and the tail is a negative electrode. Each discharge unit can generate approximately 0.15 volts, but when thousands of discharge units fire simultaneously, the voltage can reach 600-800 volts, though this high voltage is only maintained for a very short time, and discharge capability declines with fatigue or age.
The electric eel can freely control the amount of electricity it releases, and it is generally believed that the electric eel's low-level discharges are used for warning, probing, or detection.
The electric eel is not harmed by its own or other electric eels because the fatty tissue in the electric eel's body has good insulation properties, and the electric eel itself is well-adapted to the faint electrical environment.
