The lying starts with their name.
1. Electric eels arenât actually eels . Theyâre members of the knife fish family.
2. The critters are native to South American rivers, but they donât spend all their time underwater. They have to come to the surface to breathe.
3 . All of an electric eelâs vital organs are crammed into the front 20 percent of its body. The rest is packed with 6000 cells that act like tiny batteries.
4. With that much body devoted to electricity, itâs no wonder an eel can zap out more than 600 volts!
5. An eelâs voltage is great for defense, but it also comes in handy for stunning prey, mostly crustaceans and small fish.
6. Electric eels canât see what theyâre shocking. Theyâre mostly blind and use a radarlike system of electrical pulses to navigate and find food.
7. Eelsâ thick skin normally insulates them from their own attacks, but when wounded, theyâll shock themselves!
8. A fully grown electric eel can be up to eight feet long and weigh 44 pounds!
9. Fatal attacks on humans are rare, but that doesnât mean eels are harmless. People have drowned after being shocked.
Want more amazing stories like this? Subscribe to mental_floss magazine today!
Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations