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| Electric eel | |
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| Electric eel at the New England Aquarium, United States | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gymnotiformes |
| Family: | Gymnotidae |
| Genus: | Electrophorus |
| Species: | E. electricus |
| Binomial name | |
| Electrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
| Synonyms | |
Gymnotus electricus | |
The electric eel, Electrophorus electricus, is a species of fish. It can weigh up to six pounds. It can give electric shocks of up to six hundred fifty watts of electricity. The animal uses these shocks both for hunting and to defend itself. It lives in the stagnant muddy river bottoms of the Orinoco and the Amazon, and uses low-voltage electric fields to find its prey.
The electric eel is an apex predator in the parts of South America where it lives. This means it usually has no enemies except other animals of its own species. It can kill animals larger than itself. Its electric organs evolved from muscles, and make up four fifths of its body.
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