Allhumdulilah For Everything!

Why Do Eels Have Electricity? -- Allahs Amazing Creations

Electric eels are one of the most misunderstood marine animals because they are not really eels. They’re actually fishes with very long tails so they look like eels at first glance. Scientifically therefore, they must be called as electric fishes. But for the purpose of this art

icle, they will be referred to as electric eels.

An electric eel is actually a knife fish, which is the only species in the genus Electrophorus, as it is the only marine species that embodies the capability of generating electric shocks. This capability is basically derived from its physiological make-up. As was found, an electric eel is composed of three abdominal organs. These organs are the Main organ, the Hunter’s organ and the Sachs organ. These three are made of electrolytes, which are the main reasons why electric eels are capable of generating low voltage and high voltage electric organ discharges. The electrolytes present in the said organs are lined up in a manner which enables them to convert sea current flows into electric charges.

This incredible and unique feature of an eel’s physiological make-up became a favorite among marine scientists up until now. For eels, this capability is merely used both for food-hunting and self-defense. For example, when an eel comes across a possible prey, its miniscule brains would send signals to its electric cells through the nervous system. Positively charged sodium will then be emitted through their ion channels. During the process, the positively charged sodium will change its charge into negative. This sudden change then produces current. This is the simple process that makes electric eels different from the others.

However, for marine scientists, they saw this simple process as a possible source of alternative energy, which the world lacks today. They have actually developed artificial prototypes of an eel’s electricity generating cells which they are developing to become a power source for medical implants.
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