Summary
Electric eels can deliver a jolt strong enough to stun their prey. Eleanor Nelsen explains how special organs made of thousands of stacked cells work like tiny batteries, letting some fish generate — and even sense — electricity underwater.
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Ages 7+
TED-Ed lessons move quickly and use rich vocabulary — best for grades 5–6 (some grade 4 with support). No content concerns; preview once for pace.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Some fish make their own electricity — this lesson shows how their bodies do it.
- What body parts let an electric eel make a shock?
- How is an eel's electric organ a bit like a stack of batteries?
- Besides stunning prey, how might making electricity help a fish?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: electricity, cell, electric organ, current.
Try it: Draw an electric eel and label the organ that makes the charge. Explain how it works in one sentence.