Or, in this case, from THE Amazon. The noted river is home to two newly-discovered species of electric eels, and one of them goes by the name Electrophorus voltai. He can put out some 860 V of electricity in a single zap, and the average low-voltage eel can only do 650 V.
So if you're planning to swim the Amazon this winter, find a way to be grounded, or you might become part of a short circuit! That much voltage is even more than you might get from a taser gun.
We USED to think there was only one species of electric eel (E. electricus) but as usual, what we do really know? A lot of us think whales are fish!
These eels, which are not eels at all (they're fish) seem to have developed this high voltage over the years because they live in highland water, and that doesn't conduct electricity so well, meaning that the eels had to crank up the juice on the evolutionary scale.
The whole reason for having this electric power is actually twofold. Electric eels sense their surroundings by electricity and they can neutralize prey with it.
It's like they have their own battery pack, and unlike the ones for phones and tablets, theirs do not catch fire on board airplanes, although in fairness, eels usually swim to their destination.
Getting on a plane can be risky if you look like this and Samuel L. Jackson is flying with you:
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