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."Hidden functionsThe findings, published Tuesday in the Nature Communications journal, theorise that the three species evolved from a shared ancestor millions of years ago."Electric eel physiology inspired the design of Voltam electric cargo bikes Factory39;s first electric battery, provided a basis.The research "indicates that an enormous amount of species are waiting to be discovered in the Amazon rainforest, many of which may harbour cures for diseases or inspire technological innovations," he told AFP.The findings are evidence, researchers say, of the incredible diversity in the Amazon rainforest -- much of it still unknown to science -- and illustrate why it is so important to protect a habitat at risk from deforestation, logging and fires.But as part of a project to better understand electric eels and map wildlife in remote parts of South America, de Santana and his team decided to test that conventional wisdom. varii inhabiting slow-flowing lowland Amazon basin waters. Electric eels use their shock tactics for a variety of reasons, including hunting prey, self-defence, and navigation.De Santana hopes to compare the genomes of the three species, searching for clues that could offer insights useful to a variety of fields.The researchers found each of the three species has a clearly defined habitat, with E.The newly discovered species may reveal a "hidden variety" of functions "of interest to the broader scientific community. E. voltai can produce could be an adaptation to life in highland waters, where conductivity is less effective. At first # glance, they found little visible difference between creatures collected from different parts of the Amazon basin, suggesting the fish were indeed part of a single species A shocking find: new high-voltage electric eels revealed. voltai in the Brazilian Shield, a highland further south, and E. (Photo: AFP) Call it a shock discovery: DNA research has revealed two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin, including one capable of delivering a record-breaking jolt. electricus living in the Guiana Shield region,.

E. For centuries, it was believed that a single species existed throughout the region known as Greater Amazonia, encompassing parts of countries including Brazil, Suriname and Guyana. voltai is capable of delivering a jolt of 860 volts making it the strongest bioelectricity generator known. voltai is capable of delivering a jolt of 860 volts -- much more than the 650 volts previously recorded from electric eels -- "making it the strongest bioelectricity generator known.They generate electricity from three specialised electric organs that can emit charges of varying strengths for different purposes.The electric eel, in fact a kind of fish rather than an eel, inspired the design of the first electric battery.But further analysis, including of DNA from 107 samples they collected, upended centuries of assumptions and revealed three different species: the previously known Electrophorus electricus, along with Electrophorus voltai and Electrophorus varii."In spite of all human impact on the Amazon rainforest in the last 50 years, we can still discover giant fishes like the two new species of electric eels," said lead researcher C. But the discovery of the new species raises the possibility that different types of eels may have evolved different ways of generating electricity, perhaps better suited to their diverse environments." end-of Tags: electric eel, amazon forest. David de Santana, a zoologist working with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.And they suggest that the particularly strong electric shock that E. for treating neurodegenerative diseases and recently promoted the advance of hydrogel batteries that could be used to power medical implants," he said..And their research also uncovered another stunning result: E