• Care for Planet
    What We Do
    • Animal Welfare
    • Conservation Included
    • Sustainable Operations
    • Mandai Nature
    • MandaiX
    Get Involved
    • Animal Adoptions
    • Conservation Programmes
    • Education Programmes
    • Sustainability Initiatives
    • Legacy Giving
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Support Us
    Your Support Means a Lot Conservation Included
    Conservation Included
    You don’t need to do wild things to support wildlife—our revenue funds conservation in Singapore & Southeast Asia. Thank you for helping us help them!
  • Venues for Hire
    • Corporate Events
    • Social Events
    • Venues
    Host an Event in the WIld Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Host your event at this unique venue in the heart of Hong Leong Foundation Crimson Wetlands at Bird Paradise.
  • For Schools
    • Learning with Us
    • Action for Wildlife
    Latest Highlights Educational Resources
    Educational Resources
    Plan learning journeys with engaging programmes, educational resources, and school admission rates.
Mandai Wildlife Reserve
Buy Now
  • English
    • English
    • 简体中文
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
  •  Sign in
  • Hi,
    • My Membership
    • Update Profile
    • Logout
  • Search
  • Discover Mandai
    Wildlife Park
    Embark on an unforgettable adventure at our parks with diverse wildlife & nature-based experiences!
    Embark on an unforgettable adventure at our parks with diverse wildlife & nature-based experiences!
    • Singapore ZooSingapore Zoo
    • Bird ParadiseBird Paradise
    • Night SafariNight Safari
    • River WondersRiver Wonders
    • Rainforest Wild ASIARainforest Wild ASIA
    Free to Visit
    Explore our free-to-visit spaces with dining, shopping, lifestyle experiences, and activities for all!
    Explore our free-to-visit spaces with dining, shopping, lifestyle experiences, and activities for all!
    • Mandai Boardwalk
    • Mandai Wildlife EAST
    • Mandai Wildlife WEST
    Need Help With Planning Your Trip?
    Maps
    Getting Here & Around
    What's On
    • All Promotions
    • All Events
    Latest Highlights Rainforest Wild ASIA Admission Promo
    Rainforest Wild ASIA Admission Promo
    Roar into SG60 celebrations by visiting Rainforest Wild ASIA from just $24.
    Need Help With Planning Your Trip?
    Maps
    Getting Here & Around
  • Tickets & Passes
    Admission Tickets
    • Multi-Park Admission
    • Single Park Admission
    Wild About SG
    • Local Residents' Exclusive
    • WildPass Programme
    All Promotions
    All Promotions
    Latest Highights Destination Pass
    Destination Pass
    Maximise your wild adventure with up to 50% savings and enjoy visits to multiple parks with 5 days access flexibility. Prices from $50. 
  • Plan Your Visit
    Visitor Guide
    • Getting Here & Around
    • Know Before You Go
    • FAQs
    • Parks Rules and Conditions
    Trip Planning Tools
    • Maps
    • Park Itineraries
    • Mandai App
    Latest Highlights Mandai App
    Mandai App
    Maximise your visit with our interactive wayfinding map, presentation reminders, suggested itineraries and more!
  • See & Do
    Explore
    Experience our destination through a variety of activities that will make your visit extra wild!
    Experience our destination through a variety of activities that will make your visit extra wild!
    • Meet Our Animals
    • Presentations
    • Animal Feeding
    • Keeper Talks
    • Treks & Trails
    • Trams & Boat Rides
    Play
    Spark a sense of wonder through up-close animal encounters and interactive play.
    Spark a sense of wonder through up-close animal encounters and interactive play.
    • Kids' Play
    • Animal Interactions
    • Adventure+
    • ZooSchool  
    Immerse
    Be guided through our most popular exhibits and gain insights into how we care for our animals.
    Be guided through our most popular exhibits and gain insights into how we care for our animals.
    • Signature Tours
    • Backstage Pass Tours
    • Keeper for a Day
    • Black Adventures
    All Activities
    All Activities
    Latest Highlights Black Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
    Black Adventure at Rainforest Wild ASIA
    Choose your wild and elevate your adventure across the rainforest with exciting experiences for all ages.
  • Dine & Shop
    Dine
    • Dining Outlets
    • Wild Dining Experiences
    Shop
    • Shopping Outlets
    • Photo Pass
    • Choose Sustainable
    • Mandai Upcycle
    • Shop Online  
    All Dine & Shop Promotions
    • All Shopping Promotions
    All Dine & Shop Promotions
    Latest Highlights Dining With A View
    Dining With A View
    Dine at Crimson Restaurant, with stunning views of birds and the tallest waterfall at Bird Paradise. 
  • Stay
    • Mandai Rainforest Resort  
    • Colugo Camp
    Exclusive Resort Bundles Wild Adventure Stay Package
    Wild Adventure Stay Package
    Stay at Mandai Rainforest Resort and explore any of four wildlife parks for the ultimate nature and wildlife experience.
  • Memberships
    Be a Member
    • Annual Memberships
    • Benefits & Privileges
    For Existing Members
    • Friends of Wildlife Memberships
    • Birthday Privileges
    • Renew Membership
    • Membership Help Centre
    Enjoy exclusive privileges at Mandai Wildlife Reserve
    Member Events & Promotions
    Sign Up Now Be A Friend of Mandai
    Be A Friend of Mandai
    Enjoy all wildlife parks* year-round from $275. Teens (13–17) enjoy child rates. Start your conservation journey today!
    Enjoy exclusive privileges at Mandai Wildlife Reserve
    Member Events & Promotions
  • Care for Planet
    What We Do
    • Animal Welfare
    • Conservation Included
    • Sustainable Operations
    • Mandai Nature
    • MandaiX
    Get Involved
    • Animal Adoptions
    • Conservation Programmes
    • Education Programmes
    • Sustainability Initiatives
    • Legacy Giving
    • Volunteer With Us
    • Support Us
    Your Support Means a Lot Conservation Included
    Conservation Included
    You don’t need to do wild things to support wildlife—our revenue funds conservation in Singapore & Southeast Asia. Thank you for helping us help them!
  • Venues for Hire
    • Corporate Events
    • Social Events
    • Venues
    Host an Event in the WIld Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Events at Crimson Restaurant
    Host your event at this unique venue in the heart of Hong Leong Foundation Crimson Wetlands at Bird Paradise.
  • For Schools
    • Learning with Us
    • Action for Wildlife
    Latest Highlights Educational Resources
    Educational Resources
    Plan learning journeys with engaging programmes, educational resources, and school admission rates.
  • Buy Now
English
  • English
  • 简体中文
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
Search
icon

You're now logged out!

  • River Wonders
  • Animals & Zones
  • Electric Eel

Electric Eel

Find me in
Amazon Flooded Forest
  • Quick Facts
  • Get to Know
  • Meet Our Electric Duo
  • Protecting Wildlife
  • You Might Also Like

Quick Facts

Lifespan

LifespanMales live 10-15 years and females 12-22 years in human care

Diet

DietMainly fish, but also amphibians, even birds and small mammals

Habitat

HabitatQuiet, slow-moving waters of ox-bow lakes, streams, pools and flooded forests

Range

RangeAmazon & Orinoco basins of northern South America

Electric eel

Electric eel

Electrifying power

Named for the electrical charge it releases to stun its prey and enemies, the electric eel can generate up to 800 volts of electricity, enough to kill an adult human.

While all living cells generate electricity, the electric eel arranges about 6,000 of these specialised power cells (called electrocytes) in a series, allowing accumulation of voltage. The cells store power like tiny batteries. When the eel is threatened or attacking prey, these cells discharge simultaneously.

Electric eel

Shock waves

Why, then, does the eel itself not get shocked?

Eels live in water. A large part of the short-lived current (around 2 milliseconds) zips by the vital organs in the eel’s body and is conducted away into the water, electrocuting the eel’s prey in the process. A prey 10 times smaller in length than an eel is about 1,000 times smaller in volume. Though the current received by its prey is only a small portion of the total current generated, it is overwhelming in terms of proportion.

Electric eel

In murky water

The electric eel is a knifefish and is more closely related to catfish and carp than to other eels. It cannot be kept with other fish as it will shock or eat them.

As it makes its home in the muddy bottoms of rivers, it electro-navigates its way around rather than depend on its bad eyesight. The water they live in often has a very low concentration of dissolved oxygen. Though they have gills to take in dissolved oxygen, they surface frequently for air — 80% of their oxygen intake is obtained this way. Their mouth is lined with folds, which are packed with blood vessels to breathe atmospheric air.

Electric eel

Family matters

Electric eels reproduce during the dry season. The females lay between 1,200 and 1,700 eggs, which are deposited in a well-hidden nest made of saliva, built by the male. Males stay on guard, defending their nest and the fry vigorously until the rainy season begins.

This parental care may be due to increased food competition and potential for predation during the dry season. Juveniles feed on small invertebrates while newly-hatched fry will eat the unhatched eggs around them.

Meet Our Electric Duo!

eel in water
picture of an eel tail

Faraday

Easily identifiable by his angular tail tip, Faraday adores his fish-and-prawn diet and is passionate about digging himself a cosy burrow from time to time.

Scroll right to see Faraday’s tail!

eel swimming
tail of an eel

Tesla

The more slender of our two electric eels, Tesla is cool, calm, and curious. A sociable fellow, he loves following aquarists around while they clean his tank.

Scroll right to see Tesla’s tail!

Together, We Protect Wildlife

Many animals are threatened by deforestation, habitat degradation, and the illegal wildlife trade.

Visit Mandai Nature for more information on projects  and to find out how you can get involved too.

The IUCN Status

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

You Might Also Like

River Gems
River Gems
River Wonders Itinerary
River Wonders Itinerary
Keeper Talks
Keeper Talks
Banner image Banner image mobile

Every visit to our parks comes with

Conservation Included

Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

Awards & Accolades

  • Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) - Destination
  • 2024 싱가포르 관광상

Connect With Us

  • TikTok qr-code
  • Rednote logo default Rednote logo hover
    Rednote qr-code
  • WeChat qr-code
  • Douyin qr-code

About

  • Mandai Wildlife Group
  • The Mandai Family
  • Care for Planet
  • Media Centre
  • Awards & Accolades
  • Careers

Doing Business With Us

  • Venues for Hire
  • Partnerships
  • Corporate Memberships

For Schools

  • Learning With Us

Help & Support

  • Announcements
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Getting Here & Around

Awards & Accolades

  • Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) - Destination
  • 2024 싱가포르 관광상

© Copyright 2025, Mandai Wildlife Group. All Rights Reserved.

Mandai Park Holdings Pte. Ltd. and its subsidiaries, related companies and affiliates (collectively “Mandai Wildlife Group” or “MWG”) own the names, logos, typefaces, graphic devices, images, design and illustrated elements, drawings, videos or photos (“Brand Assets”) as set out on this webpage and in all brand guidelines.

  • Parks Rules and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Personal Data Protection Policy