Student should create a Cornell Note-taking Graphic Organizer with sections for Questions, Notes, and Summary. Student responses within the Notes section may vary. Acceptable answers about electric eels include:
Student responses within the Questions section may vary. Acceptable answers include:
Student responses may vary. Acceptable answers include:
Student responses within the Summary section may vary. Acceptable answers include:
The Electric Eel
The electric eel is a long, thin fish. It has very active nerve endings that give off electricity. This eel can make enough energy to run a small motor! The electric eel lives in muddy waters in South America. It has olive brown skin and a snakelike shape. An electric eel does not have fins like a fish. It also does not have teeth. This eel can grow to be eight feet long and can weigh up to 60 pounds. Eels eat other fish, shrimp, insects, worms, and plants. They also are air-breathing fish. Every few minutes, they will surface to breathe and then go back under water. The electric eel has poor eyesight. It uses its electrolocation—the ability to detect and localize objects using electricity—to help find its way through the dark water. The eel uses its electricity for other reasons, too. It can protect itself from being caught by its enemies. The eel can also use its electricity to shock the fish it wants to eat. Scientists think that eels use electric signals to pass messages to each other. The eel uses three body parts to make electricity. A long time ago, these special parts were muscles. They helped the eel swim. All moving muscles give off some electricity. After many years, the muscles stopped working. They turned into plates. They kept making electricity, though. These plates act like batteries. In the tail, there are two small plates and one large plate. One of the small plates helps the eel find its way in the dark water. The other two give the electric shock. Eels are not dangerous animals. They only shock when they need to eat or are in danger.