Bony fish · Siluriformes · Malapteruridae

African Electric Catfish

Malapterurus electricus

Least Concern

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

Weight

up to 23 kg

Size

up to 1.2 m

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Fun facts

Its electric organ, derived from the pectoral musculature, wraps around almost the whole body and produces discharges of several hundred volts.
Its eyes are very small and it hunts and navigates almost entirely by its electrical discharges.
It is most active in the four or five hours after dusk, which is when it concentrates its hunting.
It appears in reliefs in ancient Egyptian tombs some 5,000 years old.

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
Habitat & environment: Rivers, lakes and floodplains of tropical Africa and the Nile; by day it shelters under stones and in crevices

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapterurus_electricus