- Where is it?
- I put it over there.
- By the couch?
- Yeah.
- Oh.
An electric eel, magnificent.
Our submarine is docked here, in the Amazon River.
- We could have gone to the Orinoco River
but our dear Desiree wouldn't fit.
This is the only other place in the world
to find electric eels.
- Exactement mon chéri.
Electric eels are quite the peculiar species.
They're like aquatic batteries.
The majority of their body is made up of organs
that produce electricity.
Listen, you can hear it.
(electric static sound)
They're also obligate air breathers,
which means they must surface every ten minutes or so
to breathe above water.
Scientists at Vanderbilt University, you know, hold on.
Let's get Kenneth on the line.
Bonjour Kenneth, so I hear your team has some interesting
findings, eh?
- Yeah, we discovered something really remarkable
so when you threaten or corner an electric eel
it can leap out of the water and put its chin onto you
so that the current is sent straight through your body
and back down to the water giving maximal shock.
- How, shocking.
Now how do these eels generate all that electricity?
- Well, they have modified muscles that in the course
of evolution are now just used to generate electricity.
And they line these up in series to generate high voltages
and create a very powerful shock.
- Thanks Kenneth, and say hi to the missus for me, okay.
These eels might be dangerous but once they shock
their prey they need time to recharge.
So, you probably won't get shocked.
- Are we safe?
There's no cover on the tank.
- Yeah, sure.