Newly discovered species of electric eel can produce most powerful electric shock of any animal

[Judi Lynn]

By science reporter Suzannah Lyons
Posted 40 minutes ago



Electric eel, Electrophorus voltai
Electrophorus voltai has the most powerful electric discharge of any known animal. (Supplied: L. Sousa)


It's an update to the electric eel family tree that's been over 250 years in the making.

The electric eel was first described by the famed Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus in 1766.

But after years of hanging out on its own as the only species in the genus Electrophorus, researchers have now discovered that the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is in fact not one species but three.

What's more, one of the newly described species of eel, Electrophorus voltai, has been recorded generating an electric shock of 860 volts.

. . .

Electric fishes are fish that can generate electricity, or are electrogenic, as opposed to fish which are electroreceptive, meaning they can detect electric fields —although some species can be both.

Other examples of electric fish include electric rays and electric catfish.

More:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-09-11/newly-species-of-electric-eel-amazon-electrophorus-voltai/11491934

[MontanaMama]

1. Can I gift one

to MF45? Kidding not kidding.

[mbusby]

2. Somebody help...

...my eel blew a fuse.