C. David De Santana (IMAGE)
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South American rivers are home to at least three different species of electric eels, including a newly identified species capable of generating a greater electrical discharge than any other known animal, according to a new analysis published in the Sept. 10, 2019 issue of the journal Nature Communications.
The identification of two new species of electric eel highlights how much remains to be discovered within the Amazon rainforest--one of Earth's biodiversity hotspots--as well as the importance of protecting and preserving this threatened environment, says study leader C. David de Santana (pictured above), a research associate in the museum's division of fishes. "These fish grow to be seven to eight feet long. They're really conspicuous," he says. "If you can discover a new eight-foot-long fish after 250 years of scientific exploration, can you imagine what remains to be discovered in that region?"
Credit
E. Kauano
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