Why Do Electric Eels Discharge Electricity? A Detailed Explanation of the Discharge Principle
The electric eel is the freshwater fish with the strongest discharge capability among fish, outputting voltages of 300 to 800 volts, which is why the electric eel is known as the "high-voltage line" in water. Generating electricity is a means of hunting prey and striking back at enemies, and sometimes it is a physiological need. It can discharge at will, controlling the timing and intensity of the discharge itself. Let's take a look below at why electric eels discharge electricity!
Can an Electric Eel Electrocute a Person to Death?
An electric eel can electrocute a person to death. The average voltage of an electric eel's discharge is over 350 volts, but there have also been discharge records of 650 volts, and the maximum voltage of the American electric eel has actually reached over 800 volts. Such a strong voltage is enough to kill a cow. 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-duration discharge with a power of 1000 watts. Although what is emitted is direct current, the discharge frequency can reach 300 pulses per second.
Why Do Electric Eels Discharge Electricity
The electric eel has cells in its body that are like small stacked batteries. When stimulated by a nerve signal, they can suddenly cause ion flow to pass through their cell membranes. The electric eel has such cells throughout its body from head to tail, like many stacked batteries piled together. When current is generated, all these batteries (each battery has a voltage of about 0.15 volts) 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, which allows a sufficiently large current to be produced outside the body. These currents are enough to stun or kill its prey or natural enemies.
Does an Electric Eel Shock Itself?
The electric eel's discharge organs are on both sides of its body, and most of its body or important organs are wrapped in structures with very high insulation, so in water it is like a large battery. Current passes through the path with the least resistance, so when discharging in water, the current is transmitted through the water (whose resistance is smaller than that of the electric eel's body), and the electric eel will not shock itself. But if the electric eel is caught in the air, because the resistance of air is greater than the resistance of its body, discharging would cause it to shock itself. In addition, if the electric eel is injured such that the insulation on both sides is damaged at the same time, then during discharge a short-circuit phenomenon will occur, just like two bare wires.