Electric eel

An electric eel is a South American freshwater fish that generates powerful electric discharges for hunting, defense, and sensing its surroundings. Despite its name, it belongs to the knifefish order, not the true eel order.

Electrocyte: An electrocyte is a specialized cell that generates an electrical potential across its membrane. Thousands of these modified muscle cells align in series to build the eel’s high-voltage discharge.
Gymnotiformes: Gymnotiformes is an order of South American freshwater fishes that includes electric eels and knifefishes. The electric eel belongs to this order, despite its eel-like shape.
Bioelectricity: Bioelectricity is the production and use of electrical signals by living cells and organisms. The eel’s shocks are a conspicuous example of electricity generated by biological tissue.
Electrophorus voltai: Electrophorus voltai is a species of electric eel described from the Brazilian Shield region. It is among the electric eel species distinguished by genetic and anatomical research.
Action potential: An action potential is a rapid, propagating change in a cell’s membrane voltage. Synchronized action potentials trigger electrocytes to discharge together.
Electrophorus: Electrophorus is the genus of electric eels, comprising several species of South American knifefish. The electric eel’s current species are classified within this genus.
Bionic device: A bionic device uses biological principles or materials to perform an engineered function. Engineers have used the eel’s electrocyte arrangement as inspiration for soft power sources.
Electrophorus varii: Electrophorus varii is a species of electric eel found in the Amazon basin. Its recognition helped establish that electric eels comprise multiple species.
Electric organ: An electric organ is a tissue made of electrically active cells that produces biological electric fields. The eel’s electric organs contain the electrocytes responsible for its discharges.
Electrophorus electricus: Electrophorus electricus is one species of electric eel native to South America. It is the species named in the electric eel’s traditional scientific name.

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