Electric eels are carnivorous. Their diet mainly consists of fish, insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and small vertebrates such as amphibians and reptiles.
These predators use their electric discharges as a primary hunting mechanism, stunning or incapacitating prey before consuming them. Electric eels have specialized cells called electrocytes that generate strong electrical fields. They are found in freshwater habitats of South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins.