Electrophorus varii (IMAGE)

Smithsonian

Electrophorus varii

Caption

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 issue of the journal Nature Communications. One of the two newly discovered electric eel species, Electrophorus varii (shown above), named is after the late Smithsonian ichthyologist Richard Vari and swims through murky, slow-flowing lowland waters.

Credit

D. Bastos

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