The Electric Eel That Hunts by Remote Control

[00:00:00]Did you know some predators can attack without even touching their prey first?

[00:00:03]The electric eel can fire low-voltage pulses that remotely hijack the nervous systems of nearby fish, forcing them to twitch and spasm involuntarily. The fish can't help it. That tiny movement gives away their hiding spot, and then the eel strikes. Once it locks on, it delivers up to 860 volts, enough to stun a horse.

[00:00:23]And when large animals get too close, it actually lunges out of the water, pressing its body against the threat to maximize the shock delivered directly to the skin. Here is where it gets stranger. The electric eel is not actually an eel at all. It is more closely related to catfish and carp, and it breathes air, surfacing every few minutes or it would drown. It evolved this electric system over millions of years from simple muscle cells that slowly rewired themselves into living batteries, a trick no other large predator on Earth has pulled off quite like this. Which animal should we uncover next? Like and subscribe for your daily animal deep dive.