How Do Electric Eels Generate Electricity?

Despite their name, electric eels (Electrophorus electricus) are actually knifefish, not true eels. About 80% of their 2.5-metre body is occupied by three electric organs (main organ, Hunter organ, and Sachs organ) containing thousands of electrocytes — modified muscle cells that generate electric charge. Each electrocyte produces about 0.15 volts; stacked in series (like batteries in a flashlight), up to 6,000 electrocytes can produce combined discharges of up to 860 volts at 1 ampere. The main organ delivers high-voltage hunting/defence shocks, while the Sachs organ produces low-voltage pulses (about 10 V) for electrolocation — navigating murky Amazon waters by sensing distortions in its self-generated electric field. In 2019, researchers discovered three distinct electric eel species, including Electrophorus voltai, which produces the highest voltage discharge of any known animal (860 V). Electric eels have inspired biomedical research into soft, flexible power sources for implantable devices.