Electric Eels!

Electric Eels!

Legendary Shocker Alexander Humboldt went to South America to catch electric eels in 1800. He thought they could help him learn about electricity, a kind of energy that scientists knew little about. He knew not to touch the eels because their shocks could cause great pain. He asked some fishermen to help.

The fishermen led about thirty horses into a pond. The electric eels began to shock the horses. When the eels were too tired to shock the horses anymore, the fishermen caught five eels. Humboldt learned much about the eels.

It's a Fish! Electric eels are long gray-brown fish with yellow or orange on their throats. They are more like catfish than other eels and belong to a group of fish that are all electric. Electric eels can be about as big around as an adult person's leg and three times as long. Male and female electric eels are alike in color and size.

Unlike most other fish, electric eels breathe air. They have gills, but their gills mostly help them breathe out. Electric eels have special organs in their mouths that help them breathe in. They breathe out waste air from their mouths and gills. They come up to breathe air every few minutes and can drown if they don't.

Like most other fish, electric eels have fins and a backbone. Their backbones and fins are body parts that help them move. They swim slowly most of the time, but they move quickly when they attack.