An electric eel is a fish. It is not a true eel. It has a long, snake-like body. It has a flat head. Its thick skin has no scales. It is dark on top. Underneath, it has a yellow or orange part. It grows to be about 8 feet long. That is 2.5 meters.

Electric eels live in rivers and ponds in South America. An electric eel swims with one long fin along its underside. It has almost no other fins. It can swim forward and backward. The water can be low in oxygen, so the eel breathes air. It comes up to the top of the water to breathe.

Electric eels hunt at night. An eel does not see well, so it uses a weak charge to find its way in dark water. An eel eats fish and other small animals. Its shock stuns the animals it eats.

Young electric eels eat mostly small animals without backbones. These are animals such as insects and crustaceans. Adults eat mostly fish. A male electric eel builds a nest out of saliva. A male electric eel guards the young electric eels.

Words to know

• fin: swimming part
• oxygen: air gas
• backbones: spine bones
• saliva: spit
• nest: baby home