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Electric Eels Diverge Their Electrical Strength Depending on the Size of Their Prey

By Deepthi Balasunder | Update Date: Oct 29, 2015 03:39 PM EDT

An interesting discovery puts the simple electric eel on top of the charts with regards to the most remarkable predators thriving in the animal kingdom. Albeit known as simple creatures that live under water and renowned for electrocuting their prey, it has now been discovered that the eel can smartly change the strength of their electrical discharge depending on the size of the prey, reports the Daily Mail.

 For instance if the prey is really huge, the eel can emit electrical discharges twice as powerful to attack it. Apparently, this doubled up charge is as powerful as 5 times the charge of a standard US wall socket, the Daily Mail reports.

Kenneth Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, has dedicated the last 3 years to analyze the behavior of this electrifying species of fish. His research study was published in the journal Current Biology.

Professor Catania was quoted as saying on the Daily Mail, "Historically, electric eels have been viewed as unsophisticated, primitive creatures that have a single play in their playbook: shocking their prey to death. But it turns out that they can manipulate their electric fields in an intricate fashion that gives them a number of remarkable abilities."

According to Catania's study, the eel's natural electrical system functions to behave like a 'wireless Taser' which it uses to attack the prey. Further, the sea creature marvelously maneuvers its body by positioning its head and tail in a curled up position to double its electrical strength when it particularly preys on a larger aquatic animal, reports The Guardian.

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