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Peninsula Enterprise
Accomac, Accomack County, Virginia
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Article describes the electric eel's ability to generate stunning electrical power from tail organs, its relation to carp and catfish, prevalence in Brazil and Guianas marshes, and natives' avoidance, with details on organ structure and current flow.
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Enough electrical energy to stun the largest animal can be thrown out of the body of an electric eel, naturalists say, yet they have never been able to determine the exact source of the current. These eels abound in the marshes of Brazil and the Guianas and the natives have such a respect for them that they frequently change the routes of roads and marsh trails after they have become infested with these reptiles. In spite of its external similarity, authorities claim that the electric eel has nothing to do with eels, but is in reality allied to the carp and catfish. It has electric organs running the whole length of the tail, which are modifications of the lateral muscles, and are supplied with numerous branches of the spinal nerves.
These organs consist of longitudinal columns, each composed of a vast number of "electric plates." The posterior end of the organ is positive and the anterior end is negative, the current passing from the tail to the head.
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Marshes Of Brazil And The Guianas
Story Details
Electric eels produce enough electrical energy to stun large animals, sourced from electric organs in their tail modified from lateral muscles. They are related to carp and catfish, not true eels, and abound in Brazilian and Guianan marshes, prompting natives to alter routes to avoid them. The organs consist of longitudinal columns of electric plates, with current passing from positive tail to negative head.