The electric eel has long been a source of both wonder and dread. Its unique biological ability to generate powerful electrical discharges captivated human imagination for centuries. The history of this animal’s discovery is not a single event, but a layered progression, moving from indigenous knowledge to formal scientific classification and finally to a deeper understanding of bioelectricity.
Pre-Scientific Recognition and Early Encounters
Long before European naturalists arrived, the existence of the electric eel was a well-established fact for the Indigenous communities of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. These communities possessed knowledge of the fish, including methods for handling and avoiding its powerful shocks. Various groups had names for the creature that directly referenced its stunning effect, such as the Tamanac term Arimna, meaning “stops motion.”
Early European explorers and colonists encountered the electric eel in the 16th and 17th centuries, but their reports struggled to explain the force it exerted. Spanish accounts, for instance, referred to it as temblador, or “trembler,” acknowledging the jarring sensation it caused. These anecdotal reports were often met with skepticism in Europe, where the idea of a fish producing such a shock was sometimes dismissed as exaggeration.
The Formal Classification and Naming (1766-1800)
The electric eel formally entered the Western scientific record in 1766, establishing its existence within the Linnaean system of classification. Carl Linnaeus described the species and assigned it the binomial name Gymnotus electricus. This classification was based on specimens and field reports that had been sent back to Europe from the rivers of Surinam and other parts of South America.
The formal naming provided a standardized scientific identity for the fish, transitioning it from a folkloric anecdote to a recognized species. Later, in 1864, the eel was moved to its own genus, Electrophorus, a name derived from the Greek words for “amber” and “to carry,” meaning “electricity bearer.”
Unraveling the Mystery of the Shock
The electric eel’s shock-generating capability sparked scientific debate in the late 18th century, as it forced researchers to contemplate the nature of animal electricity. John Hunter, a Scottish surgeon, conducted detailed dissections of the electric eel in 1775, confirming the presence of specialized organs dedicated to generating the discharge, which occupied a significant portion of the fish’s body.
The most dramatic encounter occurred in 1800, when German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt observed Indigenous fishermen in Venezuela collecting eels by herding horses into the water. The eels, exhausted from discharging their electricity at the horses, could then be safely captured. Humboldt’s firsthand account of this “battle” brought the eel’s unique ability to the forefront of European scientific consciousness.
This living generator proved that the electricity produced by an animal was the same phenomenon as the static electricity studied in laboratories. Italian physicist Alessandro Volta was directly inspired by the eel’s unique structure, which is composed of thousands of stacked, electricity-generating cells. Volta explicitly modeled his groundbreaking invention, the electric battery or “voltaic pile,” on the eel’s biological architecture, bridging the gap between natural physiology and engineered electricity.
Modern Understanding and Expanded Taxonomy
For over 250 years following Linnaeus’s description, the electric eel was largely considered to be a single species distributed across the Amazon and Orinoco basins, known as Electrophorus electricus. However, this understanding was challenged by modern techniques that allowed for detailed analysis of genetic and morphological differences across the species’ vast range. The traditional “discovery” of the eel was only the first chapter in an ongoing taxonomic process.
A significant revision occurred in 2019, when a comprehensive study reclassified the genus, revealing that what was thought to be one species was actually three distinct species. The original name, Electrophorus electricus, was retained for the species found in the northern part of the range. Two new species were described: Electrophorus varii and Electrophorus voltai.
The discovery of E. voltai was particularly notable, as specimens of this species were recorded delivering a discharge of up to 860 volts. This measurement represents the highest voltage shock ever documented from any animal in nature, significantly exceeding previous records. This recent finding highlights that the process of “discovery” in science is continuous, with new insights changing our understanding of even the most famous animals.