Bony fish · Gymnotiformes · Gymnotidae

Electric Eel

Electrophorus electricus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Despite its name and appearance it is not a true eel but a knifefish, more closely related to catfish and carp.

Weight

up to 20 kg

Size

up to 2.5 m

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

It can generate electric discharges of up to 650 volts through some 6,000 cells called electrocytes.
It uses its electric discharges both to hunt and to navigate murky water where it can barely see.
The male builds and guards a nest of saliva where as many as 3,000 young develop.
fisiologíaIt can generate discharges of up to 860 volts, and is in fact more closely related to catfish than to true eels.
defensaIt can lunge partly out of the water to deliver its charge directly onto a target above the surface, making the shock more effective.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - bony skeleton (fish), not closely related to true eels
Habitat & environment: Muddy bottoms of rivers, swamps and floodplains of the Amazon and Orinoco basins
Birth weight: A tiny fry on hatching inside a nest built from the male's saliva
Gestation / incubation: The egg develops inside a saliva nest built and guarded by the male
Litter / clutch size: Up to 3,000 young per nest

Sources consulted: National Geographic Kids; FishBase; Animal Diversity Web; AnimalHub; Animalia.bio; National Geographic