voltai can produce could be an adaptation to life in highland waters, where conductivity is reduced.Įlectric eels use their shock tactics for a variety of reasons, including hunting prey, self-defence, and navigation. varii inhabiting slow-flowing lowland Amazon basin waters.Īnd they suggest that the particularly strong electric shock that E. voltai in the Brazilian Shield, a highland further south, and E. electricus living in the Guiana Shield region, E. The researchers found each of the three species had a clearly defined habitat, with E. The findings, published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, theorise that the three species evolved from a shared ancestor millions of years ago. voltai is capable of delivering a jolt of 860 volts – much more than the 650 volts previously recorded from electric eels – “making it the strongest bioelectricity generator known”. The electric eel, which is a kind of fish rather than an eel, inspired the design of the first electric battery.įor centuries, it was believed that a single species existed throughout the region known as Greater Amazonia, encompassing parts of countries including Brazil, Suriname and Guyana.īut as part of a project to better understand electric eels and map wildlife in remote parts of South America, de Santana and his team decided to test that theory.Īt first glance, they found little visible difference between creatures collected from different parts of the Amazon basin, suggesting the fish were indeed part of a single species.īut further analysis, including of DNA from 107 samples they collected, upended centuries of assumptions and revealed three species: the previously known Electrophorus electricus, along with Electrophorus voltai and Electrophorus varii.Īnd their research also uncovered another stunning result: E.
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