All Animals

Animal Guide

Electric Eel

31 destinations · 20 states

Native Range
Northern and central South America

An electric eel can look deceptively calm as it glides through the water, but an aquarium visit may reveal just how unusual this fish is. Watch it move close to the bottom, weaving through plants and rocks as it searches for food or explores its surroundings. Electric eels breathe air, so they regularly rise to the surface for a gulp before slipping back underwater. Their ability to produce powerful electrical discharges is used for hunting, defense, and sensing their surroundings, and some aquarium exhibits make those signals visible or audible to visitors. Despite the name, an electric eel is not a true eel. It is a long, cylindrical fish with a body adapted for moving through slow-moving freshwater habitats. Native to South America, electric eels live in rivers, floodplains, and forest waters where visibility can be poor. That makes their electrical sense especially useful, and it gives visitors a rare chance to watch an animal navigate its world using something humans cannot see.

Electric Eel

Where to see Electric Eel

31 destinations across 20 states

31 destinations

Akron Zoo

Akron, OH

Aquarium of Niagara

Niagara Falls, NY

Audubon Aquarium

New Orleans, LA

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Cleveland, OH

Downtown Aquarium

Houston, TX

East Idaho Aquarium

Idaho Falls, ID

Electric City Aquarium & Reptile Den

Scranton, PA

Georgia Aquarium

Atlanta, GA

Great Lakes Aquarium

Duluth, MN

Houston Zoo

Houston, TX

Long Island Aquarium

Riverhead, NY

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

Draper, UT

Medicine Park Aquarium & Natural Sciences Center

Medicine Park, OK

Memphis Zoo

Memphis, TN

Mystic Aquarium

Mystic, CT

National Aquarium

Baltimore, MD

New England Aquarium

Boston, MA

OdySea Aquarium

Scottsdale, AZ

Oklahoma Aquarium

Jenks, OK

Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium

Pittsburgh, PA

Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies

Gatlinburg, TN

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Washington, DC

Steinhart Aquarium

San Francisco, CA

Tennessee Aquarium

Chattanooga, TN

The Dallas World Aquarium

Dallas, TX

The Florida Aquarium

Tampa, FL

Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

Toledo, OH

VIA Aquarium

Schenectady, NY

Wildlife World Zoo

Litchfield Park, AZ

Wonders Of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium

Springfield, MO

Woodbridge Aquarium & Wildlife Center

Woodbridge, NJ

Your ZooHopper Passport

Turn your wildlife adventures into a Passport

Keep track of the zoos, aquariums, safari parks, and wildlife destinations you've visited—and save the places you want to explore next.

  • Remember every visit
  • Build your wishlist
  • Collect Passport Stamps
  • Share photos & contribute
Create Your Passport

Dan's Passport

Places
12
States
6
Wishlist
9

Passport stamps

Recently visited

  • Bronx ZooBronx, NY
  • Georgia AquariumAtlanta, GA
  • San Diego Zoo Safari ParkEscondido, CA

MY WISHLIST

Monterey Bay AquariumMonterey, CA