Does the electric eel have natural predators? A rundown of the electric eel's predator animals
The electric eel is an eel-shaped fish of the family Gymnotidae, not a true eel, but closely related to species of the order Siluriformes. It can produce an electric current strong enough to knock a person unconscious, making it the freshwater fish with the strongest discharge capability, with output voltage reaching 300 to 800 volts. The electric eel is therefore known as the "high-voltage line" of the water. Let's take a look below at what animals are the natural predators of the electric eel!
What animals are the natural predators of the electric eel?
Apart from being caught by humans, the electric eel has no natural predators. The electric eel was selected by the website of the American magazine National Geographic as one of the "most fearsome freshwater animals on Earth." It is distributed in the Guiana region of the Amazon basin in South America, mostly active in shallow pools or along the banks of murkier waters. It is large in size and is a famous food fish in its native range. Its superb discharge ability has made it a very well-known fish, and locally it basically has no natural predators other than humans; even an adult caiman cannot match it.
Why can the electric eel discharge electricity?
The electric eel has cells in its body that are like small stacked batteries. When these cells are excited by nerve signals, they can suddenly cause ions to flow through the cell membrane. The electric eel has such cells from head to tail, like many stacked batteries piled together. When current is generated, all these batteries are connected in series, thus producing a very high voltage between the electric eel's head and tail. Many such battery groups are then connected in parallel, producing enough current outside the body to stun or kill its prey or predators.
Can an electric eel's discharge kill a person?
The damaging power of an electric eel's discharge depends on the size of the eel and the condition of the organism. When an electric eel is less than 1 m long, the voltage increases as the electric eel grows; after it reaches 1 m, only the current strength increases. An electric eel can discharge 50 times per second, but after continuous discharge the current gradually weakens and completely disappears after 10 to 15 seconds; after resting for a while, it can recover its discharge ability. Within a range of 3 to 6 m in the water, people have often touched the electricity released by an electric eel and been knocked unconscious, and some have even fallen into the water and drowned as a result. The maximum voltage of the American electric eel reaches more than 800 volts, and such a strong voltage is enough to kill a cow.
What animals can discharge electricity?
1. Electric eel: The average voltage of an electric eel's discharge is more than 350 volts, with a record of 650 volts as well. The current produced during discharge is extremely weak, generally less than 1 ampere. Sometimes the observed voltage is 500 volts and the current is 2 amperes, that is, a short discharge with a power of 1000 watts.
2. Electric catfish: The specialized glands of the electric catfish have the ability to generate electricity. When stimulated, it can instantly emit 200 to 450 volts of electricity. Although slightly inferior to the electric eel, the king of electricity generation, its power is still astonishing. It can not only kill small animals, but also kill animals much larger than itself.
3. Electric ray: There are many kinds of electric rays, and their electricity-generating abilities differ. The African electric ray generates about 220 volts per discharge, a medium-sized electric ray generates 70 to 80 volts per discharge, and a smaller South American electric ray can emit only 37 volts per discharge.
4. Electric snake: The electric snake looks like an ordinary gray rat snake, but the energy of its discharge is astonishing. An accidental touch can stop a person's heart and cause death. Someone discovered that when an electric snake swam near a group of hippos soaking in the water, the hippos, unable to bear the shock of the electric current, howled and went ashore to take shelter.