Eels 'remotely control prey' - Vanderbilt University study

A study has found that electric eels can remotely control the fish they hunt.

A researcher from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Texas, found that the electrical discharges from eels made the muscles of their prey twitch.

This immobilised the fish, making them easier to capture. Eels could also use their discharges to make their prey "jump", revealing where they were hiding.

The findings are reported in the journal Science.

This slow-motion footage of eels hunting, shot by the researchers, has been coloured red to indicate the timing of each electrical discharge from the eel.

Footage courtesy of Kenneth Catania