A new paper in Ecology and Evolution challenges what researchers know about eels’ supposed loner behavior.

C. David de Santana, a fish research associate @nmnh, and colleagues discovered a group of electric eels working together to attack small fish in the Brazilian Amazon River basin.

Photo: E. Kauano

The eels, which are a type of knifefish rather than true eels, were once thought to be loners who preyed alone. But here they are, as the research team documented shocking their prey as a group in a coordinated hunting effort. Video: Douglas Bastos

With the Amazon under threat from deforestation, fire, and climate change, there is a sense of urgency to understanding the region’s species and their unique adaptations, roles, and behaviors.

Photo: L. Sousa

“Electric eels aren’t in immediate danger, but their habitats and ecosystems are under immense pressure. This paper is an example of how much we still don’t know, how many organisms whose life histories we don’t yet understand.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/national-museum-of-natural-history/2021/01/14/shocking-study-finds-electric-eels-hunt-together/