(Newser)
– A new study revealed a big surprise about electric eels – hunt in packets. Prior to the study published in Ecology and evolution, scientists believed that the creatures hunt alone, zapping and then eat solo fish, reports BBC. But in a Brazilian river in the Amazon, researchers have for the first time documented a package of Volta’s electric eels (technically, knife) that team up to straighten and kill small fish, according to Live Science. The eels gather in groups of about 100, then surround the tetra fish and throw them into shallow water. There, smaller groups of eels close and snow the tetra, sometimes with enough force to send them flying out of the water. Tetra demobilized are then light picks. Although it is common for mammals to hunt together, the practice is rare among fish, CNET explains. It is believed that the number of fish species that do this is about 10.
“This is an extraordinary discovery,” says study lead author David David de Santana, per Smithsonian Magazine. “Nothing like this has ever been documented in electric eels.” Volta’s electric eels grow up to about 8 feet in length and are capable of producing a shock of 860 volts, the strongest of all creatures on Earth. If 10 of them were confused at the same time, it would be enough to supply 100 light bulbs, says Santana. And, yes, he was zapped himself, describing him as strong enough to cause numbness in his arms. “It’s a very strong discharge, however the duration is very short,” he says. Researchers have documented the hunting strategy several times on the Iriri River in Brazil, although they are not sure how widespread it is among eels elsewhere. They started a citizen science project to gather more information. (Read more electric eel stories.)