produce electricity. Constituting 80 per cent of their body these organs are made up of over 6000 electrocytes which are specialised cells that store power much like batteries. These cells are lined up so a current of ions can flow through them and also stacked to add a potential difference or voltage. When an electric eel spots its prey it hones in on them and its brain notifies the electrocytes to open the ion channels. Sodium then flows through these causing a reverse in polarity. The difference in electric potential generates an electric current enabling the eel to produce a shock of up to 500 volts. This shock stuns whatever the eel has approached and the hunter is simply able to snap it up and enjoy the meal. This unique bodily function isn’t simply used for hunting though with it also helping the eel to navigate its way through the water. Because this slimy killer of the deep has poor eyesight it often emits a low-level charge of about 10 volts which can be used like a radar to help them move and locate prey. The electric eel may be more closely related to a fish than an eel but it interestingly relies on oxygen to breathe. Approximately every 10 minutes the eel will rise to the water’s surface and inhale air before re-submerging. It may occupy an awkward middle-ground between eel and fish but it’s fair to say that this creature is used to being a bit of an outlier. There may not be many creatures like it but that seems to suit the electric eel just fine, after all it can generate its own buzz.