The Insane Biology of: The Electric Eel

Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invented the first electric battery in 1800 by mimicking electric eel electrocyte stacking, creating the “voltaic stack” that changed the course of science and modern society forever—before this, scientists barely understood static electricity.

Electric eels (misnomer—actually knifefish, more closely related to catfish) are the most powerful electric fish, with some individuals delivering shocks up to 860 volts and one amp—enough to seriously stun humans and kill prey at a distance.

Electric eels possess extremely poor eyesight in dark murky Amazon habitats, compensating through weak electric discharges (~10 volts) for electrolocation—detecting distortions in electric fields from conducting or resisting objects.

Electric eels display “remarkable behavior unprecedented in the world of electric fish”—social predation where groups (sometimes 100+) coordinate to hunt, contradicting assumptions about solitary nature and representing one of only nine fish species observed hunting together.

Electric eels use cunning “doublet” attacks—two high-voltage pulses ~2 milliseconds apart—to remotely control prey, forcing fish to reveal locations before launching massive attack volleys that induce maximum muscle contractions.

Electric eels avoid shocking themselves through adipose tissue insulation padding electric organs, but during pack hunting likely do get shocked by other eels—their large size relative to prey makes this tolerable, representing “just a part of doing business.”