Scientists have discovered a new species of electric eel that is truly shocking. In fact, it is the most shocking creature in the world. The new eel was discovered in the Amazon. It is capable of giving someone an electric shock that is nearly eight times stronger than the electricity found in the wall socket of an American home. The eel is 2.4 meters long, weighs 45kgs, and can discharge a shock of 860 volts. Appliances in American homes need just 110 volts of electricity. The eel has enough power to give a human a severe electric shock. It is possible the shock could kill a human. The scientists wrote in the journal Nature Communications that the eel is "the strongest living bio-electricity generator".
Scientists have named the new eel Electrophorus voltai. The team of researchers actually found two new species of electric eel, but Electrophorus voltai is grabbing the headlines because of its electrical power. Up until the two recent discoveries, scientists believed there was only one electric eel in existence. Lead researcher Dr David de Santana said he would not be surprised to find more new species. He wrote: "If you can discover a new 2.4m-long fish after 250 years of exploration, can you imagine what remains to be discovered in that region?" He added: "The discovery...in Amazonia, one of the planet's biodiversity hot spots, is suggestive of the vast amount of species that remain to be discovered in nature."
