Scientists have discovered a subtype of eel, which is capable of delivering the most powerful electrical discharge. (In the end, does it really need more?) But when a group of scientists examined more than 100 electric eels from the Amazon basin in South America, it turned out that there are actually three types of eels, one of which is capable of delivering the most powerful charge of current when either measured in a living animal.
To form a specific family tree, researchers studied 107 eels caught in Brazil, Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana. They analyzed the DNA of the subjects, examined their body and bone structures, and mapped the place where they were caught.
The data revealed three genetically distinct groups with different geographical ranges. Researchers at Nature Communications have determined that Electrophorus electricus lives far in the north, mainly in Guyana and Suriname; E. varii is distributed along the lowlands of the Amazon basin, mainly in northern Brazil; and the habitat radius of E. Voltai is in the south in Brazil.
Although the subspecies are almost impossible to distinguish visually - they all have brown wrinkled skin and wrinkled mouths - the team was able to detect subtle differences in the shape of the skull and body structure. For example, Electrophorus electricus and Electrophorus voltai have depressed skulls, which could develop as a means of finding food at the bottom of a rocky river.They are also effective in fast currents.
Scientists also put eels in inflatable pools to measure the strength of their blows. They found that one of the new species, E. voltai, named after Alessandro Volt, the inventor of the battery, could deliver a shock of 860 volts, well above the previous maximum voltage of 650 volts. For comparison, the outlet is from 120 to 240 volts, and the shocker can give out about 1200.
Researchers claim that blackheads could split into species as a result of the formation of a large Amazon floodplain more than 3 million years ago. They did not check whether different types of eels could be crossed if given the opportunity, but, after millions of years of divergence in evolution, this is unlikely.
