Eels do not feed on their migration and so this behaviour cannot relate to foraging, though it may help them avoid predators. The researchers speculate that the shallow warm water helps the eels maintain a high metabolism, while the cooler water at depth delays the sexual development of the eels helping them maintain their streamline form. Video, 00:01:40, New footage shows the shooting of Daunte Wright, Teargas at protests against Minneapolis shooting. Video, 00:03:33, Nomadland and Zhao scoop top Bafta awards, 'I was painting when I heard I won' Video, 00:01:06, 'The first spaceman landed in my field' Video, 00:02:57, 'I feel just as Indian as I feel black' Video, 00:04:39. The animals that can eat electric eels are caimans, American crocodiles, and piranhas. But is there anything that can attack and kill and electric eel? However, this foraging tactic is probably less efficient if used against shoaling prey during twilight that is aware of the predator’ s presence and can maintain a … Water in these areas is poorly oxygenated, but electric eels are specially adapted to thrive in this environment. Throughout the dry season, the electric eels have an increased risk of predators, such as large mammals, which hunt outside the shallow waters they inhabit. More than 200 years ago naturalist Alexander von Humboldt recounted seeing electric eels leaping out of the water to attack horses in the Amazon. Video, 00:02:37, Lookahead 2021: Trips to Mars and the Arctic, Saving the home of the 'Octopus Teacher' Video, 00:03:22, New footage shows the shooting of Daunte Wright. Video, 00:02:37Lookahead 2021: Trips to Mars and the Arctic, Saving the home of the 'Octopus Teacher' Video, 00:03:22Saving the home of the 'Octopus Teacher', New footage shows the shooting of Daunte Wright. Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Video, 00:01:54Are pandemics the new normal? Video, 00:01:54Spectacular ‘tree of life’ found in Australian lake, Why the unique ‘drumming’ bird is in peril. Accessibility information. While true eels are classified in the order Anguilliformes, the electric eel is actually in the order Gymnotiformes, the knife fishes. Video, 00:00:44, Fire engulfs historic factory in St Petersburg, 'The world through my eyes is different' Video, 00:02:51, Nomadland and Zhao scoop top Bafta awards. They can only eat electric eels when the eels are dead. Site Development: Digital Strategies (Division of Communications) If these animals decide to eat the electric eels when it is alive these animals will get shocked very very badly. Video, 00:00:58, Up Next. Video, 00:01:54, Spectacular ‘tree of life’ found in Australian lake, Why the unique ‘drumming’ bird is in peril. The Electric Eel Is Not an Eel. Video, 00:00:58An Amazon predator that 'zaps' prey, Up Next. Electric eel: An Amazon predator that 'zaps' prey - BBC News Higher levels of voltage are generated to stun or kill prey and to protect them from predators. Given the small space to retreat, eels are often forced to defend themselves. The … The electric eel gets its name from its shocking abilities! A jaguar, caiman, or anaconda wouldn't dare attack it! Its thick, scaleless skin is generally dark gray to brown, and its underside is a yellow-orange color. Eels’ bodies are covered in slime, which may protect them from disease, help to regulate their salt and water content, and perhaps assist a slippery escape from predators. Video, 00:01:47Teargas at protests against Minneapolis shooting, Lockdown lifting: 'Light at the end of the tunnel' Video, 00:03:11Lockdown lifting: 'Light at the end of the tunnel', Fire engulfs historic factory in St Petersburg. The coils of an anaconda are useless against this highly charged shocker! That’s still large enough of a shock to easily stun prey or predators. They may look like a snake, but they aren’t even a real eel. More than 200 years after the electric eel inspired the design of the first battery, it has been discovered that they can co-ordinate their "zaps". © 2021 BBC. It has a small, or reduced, caudal fin and also lacks dorsal fins. The electric eel may be one of the most remarkable predators in the entire animal kingdom. The Electric Eel is a species of fish that is not really an eel. Video, 00:01:47, Teargas at protests against Minneapolis shooting, Lockdown lifting: 'Light at the end of the tunnel' Video, 00:03:11, Lockdown lifting: 'Light at the end of the tunnel', Fire engulfs historic factory in St Petersburg. They often live on muddy bottoms in calm or stagnant waters. Video, 00:03:48, Five ways to reduce your carbon footprint, Lookahead 2021: Trips to Mars and the Arctic. Though commonly referred to as an eel, this fish is not considered a “true” eel. That is the conclusion of Kenneth Catania, the Stevenson Professor of … The animals that can eat electric eels are caimans, American crocodiles, and piranhas. Read about our approach to external linking. Electric eels predominantly prey on single diurnal fish found resting at night in the shallows (Westby, 1988), conditions under which ordinary or dipole attacks fired from a very close distance are highly efficient to disable prey (Catania, 2019). Are pandemics the new normal? The Electric Eel, however, uses electricity as a weapon. We Offer Same Day Click & Collect. Five ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Electric eels tend to live on muddy bottoms in calm water and in stagnant arms of rivers, where … The electric eel is capable of generating over 800 volts of electricity. In fact, electric eels are probably more closely related to catfishes. A large adult electric eel can deliver a charge of up to 650 volts—to stun prey, keep away predators, and to help them navigate through muddy water. Electric Eel Facts and Information Electrophorus electricus Introduction to Electric Eel.