Some eels live in places that have freshwater such as ponds, rivers and … They often live on muddy bottoms in calm or stagnant waters. It is an obligatory air breather (must breath air). Juveniles feed primarily on invertebrates, and newly hatched electric eels will eat remaining, unhatched eggs. Despite its name, it is not an eel at all but rather a knifefish. The electric eel is also known for its unusual breeding behaviour. Electric Eel Facts & Trivia for kids Despite the name the Electric Eel is not an eel. The anal fin extends the length of the body to the tip of the tail. The electric discharge from an electric eel can be stronger than 500 volts. The nerves in our bodies carry small electrical currents. It lives in the stagnant muddy river bottoms of the Orinoco and the Amazon, and uses low-voltage electric fields to find its prey. The scientific name of electric eel is electrophorus electricus. Electric eels can grow up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) in length. But if the eel repeatedly shocks, its electric organs become completely discharged. Eels have a unique swimming ability. The electric eel then delivers a series of shocks that occur at one-millisecond intervals. Electric eels have three pairs of electric … ... * EELS * | Animals For Kids Quality, educational videos for kids. To locate prey, it sends out weak electrical signals that help it to sense its environment, a bit like radar. 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. It can offer very powerful electric shocks. Then a person can touch it without being shocked. Did you know an electric eel is a fish that can make electricity? Body. All rights reserved. Keeping electric eels in captivity is difficult and mostly limited to zoos and aquaria, although a few hobbyists have kept them as pets. swimming ability. The animal uses these shocks both for hunting and to defend itself. They are more closely related to carp and catfish. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/electric-eel.html. Because electric eels can shock, very few of them are kept as pets. Electric eels are nocturnal, live in muddy, dark waters, and have poor eyesight. It can kill animals larger than the eel itself. The juveniles eat invertebrates, such as shrimp and crabs. Because they can shock, very few of these fish are kept as pets. It is a species of Knifefish. Group of eels is called swarm. In fact, it’s a 2.5m (8ft) long fish. It can give electric shocks of up to six hundred fifty watts of electricity. The electric eel is a South American freshwater fish found mainly in the Amazon River basin. Now thatâs shocking! Despite their appearance, electric eels arenât actually eels at all! EEL FACT SHEET Although eels look like snakes, they are fish and belong to the order Anguilliformes, of which there are about 800 species. The electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is a species of fish. The electric eel is an apex predator in the parts of South America where it lives. The Tennessee Aquarium in the United States is home to an electric eel that uses its electrical discharges to post from its own Twitter account. 4th Grade. They belong to a large group of fishes called the eel order. Although electric eels have the power to be the bullies of the Amazon, they are actually not very aggressive animals. Adult electric eels are generalist carnivores, eating fish, crustaceans, insects and small vertebrates, such as amphibians, reptiles and mammals. In the dry season, a male eel makes a nest from his saliva into which the female lays her eggs. These fish have always been sought after by some animal collectors, but catching them is difficult, because the only reasonable option is to make the eels tired by continually discharging their electricity. Yes! Mature females have a darker color on the belly. Electric Eel Facts: Habitat The electric eel lives in freshwater lakes, streams and small rivers. The shock of an electric eel has been known to knock a horse off its feet. Electric Eel. The electric eel isn’t an eel at all. Despite its name, the electric eel is not an eel. Other fish, such as electric eels, have special cells in their body that produce strong electric discharges. All of an electric eel’s vital organs are crammed into the front 20 percent of its body. As in other ostariophysan fishes, the swim bladder h… It is closely related to a knifefish or catfish. These young electric eels feed mainly on invertebrates found on the river bed, however, first-born baby electric eels have been known to gobble up the eggs from batches of other electric eels that were laid only a short time after themselves. It can weigh up to six pounds. The eel uses its shock to stun prey and keep predators at bay. An electric eel is not exactly an eel. It is the only species in the genus Electrophorus, or able to produce electricity. The Electric Eel Is Not an Eel. It can kill animals larger than itself. Named Miguel Wattson, the eel's exhibit is wired to a small computer that sends out a prewritten tweet when it emits electricity at a high enough threshold. Electric eels can use these discharges to electrocute other fish, and to give humans a … Electric Eels live in freshwater river basins and areas in South America. As many as 3,000 young hatch from the eggs in one nest. Their long and cylindrical body can be white, black, blue, purple or grey in colour. Electric Eel Facts For Kids & Adults: Pictures, Information & Video The electric eel is famous throughout the world for its ability to generate electricity. Their coloration is dark gray-brown on the back and yellow or orange on the belly. Eels are fishes that look like snakes. There are hundreds of different species, or types, of eel. The fish's electric organs eventually become completely discharged, allowing the collector to wade into the water in comparative safety. Even though its name suggests it is an eel, it is not. It is often found in muddy, slow-moving water low in oxygen – hence its ability to ‘breathe’ air. In some flooded forest habitats, electric eels account for a large proportion of the fish biomass. Electric eels can produce strong electric shocks of around 500 volts. This makes sense, because the muddy water is very low in oxygen, and it needs oxygen to power its electric organs. Habitats: Where Eels Live. * EELS * | Animals For Kids Quality, educational videos for kids. Female Electric Eels are much larger than males. The electric eel, electrophorus electricus, is not technically an eel but a different … That’s pretty cool. Electric eels sure are electric, but did you know they're not really eels? Reaching up to eight feet in length, this can be one monstrous fish! These electrical currents send … Electric eels aren’t eels. View PDF. Male electric eels are much smaller than the females. It is a knifefish. This means it usually has no enemies except other animals of its own species. This causes the heart to pump blood around our bodies. A firefly glows in the dark because it has a chemical on its body called luciferin. It is no easy feat for the electric eel to create its own electricity. As obligate air-breathers, electric eels must rise to the surface every ten minutes or so to inhale before returning to the bottom. Electric eels inhabit fresh waters of the Amazon and Orinoco River basins in South America, in floodplains, swamps, creeks, small rivers, and coastal plains. The rest is … If you touch its body, you can get a shock. They have no scales. Their coloration is dark gray-brown on the back and yellow or orange on the belly. It produces two types of electrical discharge: low voltage and high voltage. It lurks in muddy, murky bodies of water such as swamps, ponds, streams and river basins in South America. Electric Eel Facts & Trivia for kids Despite the name the Electric Eel is not an eel. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- It can give electric shocks of up to six hundred fifty watts of electricity. Its electric organs evolved from muscles, and make up four fifths of its body. They are closely related to the Catfish. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Female Electric Eels are much larger than males. Electricity makes the muscles in our heart contract. The electric charge is produced by special organs along the sides of the eel’s body. In addition to defense, electric eels use their shocking power to hunt. A popular way … The electric eel is known for its unusual breeding behavior. The term "eel" is also used for some other similarly shaped fish, such as electric eels and spiny eels, but these are not members of the Anguilliformes order. Electric eel has been named so as it has a snake-like long and cylindrical body resembling eels. Electric eels have poor eyesight, and they rely on other senses to find food, which includes other fish since the eel is a carnivore (meat eater). The Electric Eel is a fascinating creature, and one that allows electric currents to be able to be generated. Eels live in shallow waters or hide at the bottom of the oceans in holes which are called eel pits. The direction of wave is not a big deal for an … Rather, it's a very close relative of the catfish. Includes comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and a writing prompt. … Electric eels are air breathers and must come to the water’s surface frequently. Eels can live for 70 years or more – depending on the specie though most species of eel don’t live for more than 30 years. The posterior chamber extends along the whole length of the body and maintains the fish's buoyancy. Eels are Fish. Learn interesting facts about electric eels in this reading comprehension article. The electric eel has an elongated, cylindrical body, typically growing to about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length, and 20 kg (44 lb) in weight, making them the largest species of the Gymnotiformes. The electric eel is a long, snakelike fish with a flattened head that lives in South America. Nearly eighty percent of the oxygen used by the fish is obtained in this way. Electric eels have an electrical current of about 500V, for protection and hunting. The electric eel has an elongated, cylindrical body, typically growing to about 2Â m (6Â ft 7Â in) in length, and 20Â kg (44Â lb) in weight, making them the largest species of the Gymnotiformes. The eel uses the … In the dry season, a male electric eel makes a nest from his saliva into which the female electric eel lays her eggs. The anal fin extends the length of the body to the tip of the tail. Mature females have a darker color on the belly. The most important fact to know about electric eels is that, unlike the … First, let's take a quick look at this animal. Electric Eels are capable of stunning a human with their powerful electric shocks. However, it … Electric eels have been shown to curl their bodies around larger or more elusive prey. Despite its name, the electric eel is not closely related to the true eels (Anguilliformes), but is a member of the neotropical knifefish order (Gymnotiformes), which is more closely related to the catfish. They have no scales. This fish has a vascularized respiratory system with gas exchange occurring through epithelial tissue in its buccal cavity. As in other ostariophysan fishes, the swim bladder has two chambers. They are carnivores (meat-eaters) that eat other fish, amphibians, birds and small mammals. Electric eels are solitary animals (live on their own). Made in the UK. 3rd Grade. Kids will learn all about mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and fish. This page was last modified on 5 December 2020, at 11:42. It is a knifefish. It can also produce sudden jolts of electricity, powerful enough to kill other fish. So instead of using eyes, electric eels emit a weak electric signal, which they use like radar to navigate, to find a mate, and to find prey. Electric eels feed on invertebrates, although adult eels may also consume fish and small mammals, such as rats. Their scientific classification is closer to carp and catfish. Due to the very short duration of the electric shock, the possibility is very low for an adult human to be dead when being shocked by the electric eel. Electricity-producing organ takes 80% of their body. It depends on large organs that take … The maximum weight on an electric eel is six pounds. Electric eels can reach 8 feet in length and weigh up to 44 pounds. Electric Eels Facts. They are able to produce an electric charge which they use to hunt as well as scare off predators. They may look like a snake, but they aren’t even a real eel. Electric eels are truly electric. The mouth is square, and positioned at the end of the snout. Facts about Electric Eels 6: the voltage The voltage produced by the electric eels can reach 860 watts and 860 volts for 2 milliseconds. Electric Eels live in freshwater river basins and areas in South America. As many as 17,000 young electric eels will hatch from the eggs in one nest. Despite its name and appearance, the electric eel isn't actually an eel at all. The electric eel lives in freshwater habitats. Researchers at Yale University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology argue artificial cells could be built that not only replicate the electrical behavior of electric eel cells, but also improve on them. Electric Eels are capable of stunning a human with their powerful electric shocks. It is a species of Knifefish. That strategy has the effect of doubling the strength of the electric field between the electric eel’s positive pole (which is located near the head) and its negative pole (which is located near the tail). The mouth is square, and positioned at the end of the snout. It has very poor eyesight but relies on it… Once prey is found, electric eels will use a much stronger shock to stun prey, usually smaller fish. The anterior chamber is connected to the inner ear by a series of small bones derived from neck vertebrae called the Weberian apparatus, which greatly enhances its hearing capability. Made in the UK. Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 centimeters (2 inches) in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to 4 meters (13 feet) in the slender giant moray. They use this to hunt and to protect themselves too. E. electricus has a well-developed sense of hearing. Artificial versions of the eel's electricity-generating cells could be developed as a power source for medical implants and other microscopic devices. Their long and cylindrical body can be white, black, blue, purple or grey in color. Although electric eels have the power to be the bullies of the Amazon, they are actually not very aggressive animals. Electric Eel Facts and Information Electrophorus electricus Introduction to Electric Eel. First-born hatchlings eat other eggs and embryos from later clutches. Electric eel, firefly and gecko. ( live on muddy bottoms in calm or stagnant waters a writing prompt, Electrophorus.! Sends out weak electrical signals that help it to sense its environment, bit. Knifefish or catfish male eel makes a nest from his saliva into which the female her. ) that eat other fish of fish muscles, and positioned at the end of the Amazon, they more! A firefly glows in the parts of South America has been named so it! 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