Electric Eels Can Leap From Water

For over two centuries, a dramatic account from famed naturalist Alexander von Humboldt was widely dismissed as a tall tale. During his 1800 expedition in Venezuela, he described a frenzied scene where local fishermen drove horses into a muddy pond to provoke electric eels, which then launched themselves out of the water (Review) to attack the mammals with high-voltage shocks. This incredible behavior seemed too theatrical to be real, and for 200 years, the story was treated as an explorer’s exaggeration rather than a scientific observation.

It wasn't until 2016 that Humboldt was vindicated. A biologist studying the creatures observed the exact same leaping defense mechanism when he tried to scoop them up with a metal-rimmed net. The physics behind the attack is brilliant. Underwater, an eel’s electrical charge dissipates, delivering a less potent shock to a large target. By leaping and making direct contact, the eel forces the entire electrical circuit to travel through the predator (Review)'s body, dramatically increasing the power and pain of the jolt. This maneuver essentially turns the eel’s chin into a mobile taser, allowing it to deliver a focused, high-voltage defensive strike that proves the old explorer's tale was true all along.