What is the life span of an electric eel?

The life span of an electric eel ranges from 12 to 22 years. Electric eels are more closely related to catfish and carp than to eels. Electric eels feed on fish, amphibians, such as frogs, and sometimes birds or small rodents.

Electric eels have 6,000 specialized cells that store power in a way similar to a battery. When threatened or hunting food, the electric eel emits a shock that is five times as powerful as a standard U.S. wall socket, or about 600 volts. Due to poor eyesight, these eels use electricity like radar to locate prey and move around the murky, dark waters of the Amazon River basin.