Jeremy Wade spots an electric eel in the Amazon. The electric eel actually isn't an eel, but a member of the knife fish family.
Image Credit: Alex Parkinson/Icon Films
Electric eels come up for air every 10 to 15 minutes. They get 80 percent of their oxygen through breathing, absorbing it through vascular folds in the lining of their mouth.
Image Credit: Alex Parkinson/Icon Films
The electric eel can deliver a charge strong enough to light up a house. The fish uses this deadly weapon for both hunting and defense. The back four-fifths of the electric eel's body produces most of its electricity. It can also sense weak electrical signals, which helps it to navigate and communicate with other electric eels. It has little use for vision in the murky waters where it lives, so it's developed small eyes and poor eyesight.
Image Credit: Alex Parkinson/Icon Films
The electric eel can grow up to eight feet long and weigh up to 44 pounds. It's found in the waters of Guatemala, Argentina and the Caribbean island of Trinidad.
More Killer Fish Photos | About the Electric Eel | How to Catch an Electric Eel (video) | Lassoing an Electric Eel (video) | The Heart-Stopper Fish (video)
Image Credit: Alex Parkinson/Icon Films
