Until now, we knew that eels are a species of knifefish that use their electricity to attack prey. However, according to a study by the National Institute for Amazonian Research, electric eels ( Electrophorus electricus ) work as a team to produce a large electrical discharge and throw their prey (usually small fish) out of the water.
Although mammals work together to catch their prey, this behavior is not common in fish, as the study concludes. In fact, prior to this research, scientists considered electric eels to be solitary predators that attacked only one prey at a time. However, after this research, scientists have discovered that the group hunting method can involve up to a hundred electric eels surrounding smaller fish, such as Tetra.
In this way, they manage to surround the prey (usually fish) and take them into shallower waters. Later, some eels (between two and ten approximately) separate from the initial group and approach the prey to generate a great electrical discharge. The shaking is so strong that some fish jump out of the water and land in a daze again. Eventually they float motionless, becoming an easy catch for eels.
According to David de Santana, a zoologist at the United States National Museum of Natural History, an eel can produce an electric shock of 860 volts. Therefore, a group of ten electric eels could produce a discharge of 8,600 volts. However, although it is a very strong discharge, the duration is usually short.
The dams, always on the alert
Researchers consider individual hunting to be less successful when prey are on alert. For this reason, eels work in groups producing more powerful electrical discharges that can impact prey from a greater distance.
Researchers suspect that this behavior is unusual and only occurs when conditions are right. That is, in areas with an enormous abundance of prey or places with refuge for eels. Therefore, these conditions may only exist in the Amazon, where the investigation was carried out.
