Vari's Electric Eel

Electrophorus varii, was named for zoologist Richard P. Vari, a researcher at the Smithsonian who passed away in 2016. Despite the name, it is not an eel, but rather a knifefish.

This species closely resembles Common Electric Eel, but lacks the clear band along the body that is usually present in Common Electric Eel. This species produces the second-highest maximum voltage of the three Electrophorus species, at about 572 volts.

The discharges of Vari's Electric Eel don't need to be as strong because of the increased conductivity of the water; in fact, they only range in voltage from 151 to 572 volts. The three species of electric eels were aware of this knifefish's weakness. If an electric current is passed through their hearts, they will perish instantly. Because of this, they must be extremely cautious. Nevertheless, mishaps do still occur. By twisting their bodies in such a way that the electric current is prevented from flowing through their hearts, they reduce the risk to themselves.

Electric eels are not typically aggressive animals, despite the fact that they have the potential to be the bullies of the Amazon. To render prey unconscious and ward off predators, the eel uses shock. Electric eels live in murky, dark waters, have poor eyesight, and are nocturnal creatures. They are nocturnal, exclusively air-breathing creatures with poor vision and electrolocation who primarily consume fish. As long as they live, electric eels continue to grow and add vertebrae to their spinal column. Larger than females are males. Some animals in captivity have lived for more than 20 years.

Electric eels are not typically hostile animals, but they have the potential to be the bullies of the Amazon. In order to confuse prey and fend off predators, the eel uses shock.

It is found throughout the lowland habitats of the Amazon Basin and in some streams in the Guiana Shield, in contrast to the other two species in the genus, which are adapted to only upland shield habitats. It inhabits turbid rivers with little oxygen and sandy or muddy bottoms. The Electric Eel is a nocturnal benthopelagic species that typically lives in the muddy bottoms of rivers, streams, pools, and swamps, favoring heavily shaded areas. Benthopelagia is an ecological region found at the lowest level of a water body. Because they must breathe air, this species can survive in water with low oxygen levels. While adults eat fish and small mammals, juveniles only consume invertebrates.

• Movement Pattern: Nomadic

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Warm Pond; Cold Pond; Warm Lake; Cold Lake.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Brazil; Guiana; Suriname; Venezuela

Electric eels are fairly hardy in the aquarium, but due to their enormous adult size and potentially lethal shock, they should only be kept by seasoned hobbyists with a large, dedicated aquarium built specifically to meet this fish's unique needs. Larger fish should be handled very carefully.

Within the order Gymnotiformes, which includes South American knifefishes, electric eels make up a subclade of fishes with strong electric properties. Because of this, electric eels are not closely related to anguilliformes, which are true eels. According to estimates, the sister taxon Gymnotus and the Electrophorus genus split up sometime during the Cretaceous. Most knifefishes are weakly electrified; they are able to move through their environment using active electrolocation but not shocks. In 2019, the mitochondrial DNA from each of them was sequenced to examine the relationships represented in the cladogram.

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrophorus_varii

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6736962/

• https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/eels.html

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/04/03/how-do-eels-generate-electricity-in-water-without-electrocuting-themselves/#:~:text=An%20electric%20current%20through%20their,from%20passing%20through%20their%20heart.

• https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/facts/electric-eel#:~:text=Although%20electric%20eels%20have%20the,waters%2C%20and%20have%20poor%20eyesight.

• https://www.aqua-imports.com/product/electric-eel-electrophorus-electricus/#:~:text=In%20the%20aquarium%2C%20electric%20eels,be%20treated%20with%20extreme%20caution.

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Electrophorus-varii-874074473