Why does the electric eel discharge?

Electric eel is the freshwater fish with the strongest discharge ability among fish, and the output voltage is up to 300 million 800 volts, so electric eel is called "high voltage line" in the water. Power generation is a means of preying and attacking enemy damage, and sometimes it is a kind of physiological need, which can discharge at will. Master the discharge time and intensity. Let's take a look at why the electric eel discharges.

Can electric eels shock people to death?

An electric eel can shock a person to death. The average voltage of electric eel discharge is more than 350V, but there is also a record of 650V discharge. The maximum voltage of American electric eel is more than 800V, which is strong enough to kill a cow. The current generated during discharge is very weak, generally less than 1 ampere. Sometimes the observed voltage is 500V and the current is 2 amperes, that is, a short-term discharge with a power of 1000 watts, although it emits direct current. But the discharge frequency can reach 300 pulses per second.

Why does the electric eel discharge

Some cells in the electric eel are like small laminated batteries that, when stimulated by neural signals, abruptly cause ions to flow through its cell membrane. Electric eels have such cells from beginning to end, just like many stacked batteries. When current is generated, all these batteries (each with a voltage of about 0.15 volts) are connected in series, creating a high voltage between the head and tail of the eel. Many of these battery packs are connected in parallel again, so that enough current can be generated outside the body. These currents are enough to stun or kill its prey or predators.

Will the electric eel shock itself?

The electric eel's discharge organs are on both sides of the body, and most of its body or important organs are surrounded by highly insulated structures that act like a large battery in the water. The current passes through the path with the least resistance, so when discharging in the water, the current is transmitted through water (the resistance is lower than the body of the electric eel), and the electric eel does not electricity itself. But if the electric eel is caught in the air, because the resistance of the air is greater than that of its body, it will be electrocuted to itself. In addition, if the electric eel is injured and the insulators on both sides are damaged at the same time, the discharge will be short-circuited like two exposed wires.