Electric eel
Electrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766)
The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus), also called the common electric eel, is a bony fish in the family Electrophoridae. It belongs to the order Gymnotiformes, suborder Pulseoidei and superfamily Gymnotoidea, within the class Teleostei.
Quick facts about the electric eel
The species name Electrophorus electricus carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1766), and the IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwatersrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the electric eel
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Where does the electric eel live?
Not recorded
What is the electric eel?
Electrophorus electricus is the best-known species of electric eel. It is a South American electric fish. Until the discovery of two additional species in 2019, the genus was classified as the monotypic, with this species the only one in the genus. Despite the name, it is not an eel, but rather a knifefish. It is considered as a freshwater teleost which contains an electrogenic tissue that produces electric discharges.
From the Wikipedia article “Electrophorus electricus” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Electrophorus_electricus&oldid=1371810523), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the electric eel endangered?
The electric eel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the electric eel classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderGymnotiformes
- familyElectrophoridae
- genusElectrophorus
- SpeciesElectrophorus electricus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms Gymnotus electricus, Gymnotus regius, Gymnotus tremulus
Other names and names in other languages (70)
- Common electric eelEnglish
- أنقليس رعادArabic
- anguila llétricaAsturian
- الکتریک ایلان بالیغیAzerbaijani
- Anguila elèctricaCatalan
- 电鳗Chinese
- 電鰻Chinese
- paúhoř elektrickýCzech
- ZitteraalGerman
- Elektrischer AalGerman
- AnguilaSpanish
- Anguila eléctricaSpanish
- AnguillaSpanish
- Anguilla electricaSpanish
- Pez elétricoSpanish
- ElektriangerjasEstonian
- Aingira elektrikoBasque
- مارماهی برقیPersian
- SähöankeriasFinnish
- SähköankeriasFinnish
- Anguille électriqueFrench
- Eascann leictreachIrish
- Anguía eléctricaGalician
- PorakeGuarani
- Električna jeguljaSerbian (Latin)
- צלופח חשמליHebrew
- Elektromos angolnaHungarian
- Sidat listrikIndonesian
- Anguilla electricInterlingua
- HrökkállIcelandic
- デンキウナギJapanese
- Welut listrikJavanese
- ელექტრული გველთევზაGeorgian
- Электірлі жыланбалықKazakh
- 전기뱀장어Korean
- Elektrinis ungurysLithuanian
- Atsiniltłʼish ííłʼíiniiNavajo
- SidderaalDutch
- StretwaPolish
- StrętwaPolish
- Węgorz elektrycznyPolish
- PixundéPortuguese
- Enguia elétricaPortuguese
- Peixe elétricoPortuguese
- PoraquêPortuguese
- Poraquê de fogoPortuguese
- Poraquê-comumPortuguese
- PuraquêPortuguese
- PuxunduPortuguese
- Treme tremePortuguese
- PurakiQuechua
- AnkillaQuechua
- ChinkirmaQuechua
- TsinkirmaQuechua
- Țipar electricRomanian
- угорь электрическийRussian
- Maïsisrm
- Bieuw-ÄilSaterland Frisian
- DarrålSwedish
- Elektrisk ålSwedish
- Mkunga Umeme (Samaki)Swahili
- மின் விலாங்குமீன்Tamil
- విద్యుత్ చేపTelugu
- ปลาไหลไฟฟ้าThai
- Elektrikli yılan balığıTurkish
- Вугор електричнийUkrainian
- Elektrli ugorUzbek
- Cá chình điệnVietnamese
- Aliminaway
- Marmaseo elektrikınZaza
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the electric eel
Other species in the same genus Electrophorus.
Volta’s electric eel
Electrophorus voltai
Electric eel
Electrophorus varii
Peruvian electric eel
Electrophorus multivalvulus
CompareElectric eel vs Volta’s electric eelElectric eel vs Electric eelElectric eel vs Peruvian electric eel
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the electric eel?
The electric eel is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Electrophoridae in the order Gymnotiformes.
What is the scientific name of the electric eel?
Its scientific name is Electrophorus electricus, in the genus Electrophorus.
Is the electric eel endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List assesses the electric eel globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
Who named the electric eel and when?
The scientific name Electrophorus electricus is attributed to (Linnaeus, 1766).
What other names does the electric eel have?
The electric eel is also called the common electric eel.
What is the taxonomic classification of the electric eel?
It is in kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Teleostei, order Gymnotiformes, suborder Pulseoidei, superfamily Gymnotoidea, family Electrophoridae and genus Electrophorus.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
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CreatureData. (2026). Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/electrophorus-electricus
“Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/electrophorus-electricus.
@misc{electrophorus_electricus_2026,
title = {Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/electrophorus-electricus},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}