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The Truth about Eels

By Rama Kumaraswamy Thoopal; Illustration by Shiju George

More on the Eel
Eels are lithe swimmers. Most species are less than 3 ft long. One species, known as the conger eel, is found in the Atlantic Ocean and is known to grow up to 9 ft long. Eels can be divided into nearly 600 different species - and are found all over the world, in seas, freshwater and oceans. Most eels have no scales and are protected by a layer of slippery mucus. Some freshwater eels can absorb oxygen directly from air or water, through their skin.

The eels hatch from eggs. Initially they do not resemble eels at all, and are transparent and small. They drift about ocean surfaces for as long as three years, feeding on algae until they grow into frisky young eels called elvers. That is when their appetite undergoes a drastic change and they begin eating fish, crabs, and other invertebrates.

These Eels can Shock!
Did you know that a certain species of eel emit strong electric shocks? The electric eel, native to the Orinoco River and the rivers of South America, can deliver whopping voltages. They do so in order to stun their prey while hunting or in self-defense.

An electric eel's sting can carry five times the voltage of a household socket while larger electric eels (5ft to 7ft) long produce about 600 volts - enough to stun a horse. However if the eel discharges a lot in a short interval, it gets exhausted and needs sufficient rest to 'recharge its batteries.'

Electric fishes (like the electric eel, electric catfish, and the electric rays) or those eel who can emit electric shocks, are capable of generating a strong electric field. This happens because their body contains a special organ called the electric organ. In the case of the eel, these cells are concentrated in the tail, which occupies about four-fifths of the total length of the fish.

The electric organ consists of stacked, platelike cells called electroplates that are organised into many small blocks of muscle on either end of the electric organ.

The electroplates behave exactly like the two ends of a battery. If you have ever noticed, the two ends of the battery are marked positive (+) and negative (-). These are known as the cathode and anode respectively.

The chemical within the battery causes an electric flow from the anode to the cathode (ie. negatively charged sub-atomic particles from the anode, called electrons, get attracted to the positively charged cathode, and this is what results in a flow of current).

The two ends of the electric organ thus generate a strong electric field and nerves branching throughout the electric organs distribute the charge, which intensifies as it passes through the electroplates, delivering a 'neuro-electic' (electric pulses transmitted by nerves) shock.