AI overview
The electric eel is a species of fish found in South America that can generate powerful electrical discharges from specialized organs in its body. These electrical abilities help it navigate murky waters, communicate with other eels, and stun prey or predators.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- electric fish
- Parent taxon
- Electrophorus
- Image
- Electrophorus electricus 3.jpg
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Article
Electrophorus electricus is the best-known species of electric eel. It is a South American electric fish. Until the discovery of two additional species in 2019, the genus was classified as the monotypic, with this species the only one in the genus. Despite the name, it is not an eel, but rather a knifefish. It is considered as a freshwater teleost which contains an electrogenic tissue that produces electric discharges.
Taxonomic history