Electric Eels & The Electric Fish

Did you know that fish like the electric eel and the electric ray can produce high voltage electric shocks as high as 700 volts.  Although these electric shocks can only be discharged in short bursts they are extremely effective as both an attack and defense mechanism. To put things into perspective the electricity levels involved with an eel could protect it from most large predators such as anacondas and crocodiles, and may even be enough to kill a human.

So how on earth do they create electricity from within their own bodies. The answer lies in the presence of specialised cells called electrocytes. On average an electric eel might have around 7000 of these cells and with each cell being able to produce 0.1 volts of electricity you can quickly see where all that voltage comes from.