---
title: "What the sources say about the Electric Catfish | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "34 claims from the Electric Catfish profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Electric Catfish (*Malapterurus electricus*)

> 34 claims from the Electric Catfish profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Electric Catfish](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/electric-catfish/)

## Malapterurus electricus (electric catfish). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Malapterurus_electricus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| is believed to be restricted to the Nile River and Lake Chad | It is believed that M. electricus is restricted to the Nile River and Lake Chad (Moller, 1995). |
| The name once covered far more: preliminary data from the 1990s suggested the fish then called *M. electricus* were at least nine species | Preliminary data suggest that what is currently considered M. electricus consists of at least nine species (of which four miniature species with highly reduced electric organs from Zaïre possibly belong to a separate, undescribed genus) (Moller, 1995). (note: 1990s = Moller 1995; ADW account last updated 2000, so 'currently considered' is the 2000 sense) |
| In that old, broad sense, electric catfish reach up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) long and 20 kilograms (44 pounds) | Malapterurus electricus can reach up to 1220 mm in total length (Skelton, 1993). ... Range mass 0 to 20000 g (note: 1220 mm = 1.2 m = 4 ft; 20000 g = 20 kg = 44 lb. Scoped to the old broad M. electricus: Skelton 1993 is a southern African fish book, outside the Nile/Chad range, and the ADW mass field is uncited in a 2000 account of the lumped species) |
| An electric catfish's electric organ, evolved from its pectoral muscle, surrounds the body over most of its length | The most notable aspect of Malapterurus is its strong electrogenic ability. The electric organ, which is evolved from its pectoral muscle (Johnels, 1957), surrounds the body over most of the length of the fish |
| That one-neuron wiring made the organs well suited to studies of how nerve cells release their chemical signals | The electric organs of Malapterurus have been used in studies of neuronal metabolism, axonal transport, and transmitter release (e.g. Volknandt & Zimmermann, 1986), being particularly suited for this task because of their innervation by only one giant neuron (Janetzko et al., 1987). (note: release their chemical signals = transmitter release) |
| Electric catfish can discharge up to 350 volts**, a figure given for a fish just half a meter long | capable of discharging up to 350 V (in a 500 mm fish; Keynes, 1957) (note: 500 mm = half a meter; genus scope, as Keynes 1957 predates the split and the fish's origin is not stated; the ** ends the bold lead-in) |
| Electric catfish have very small eyes | Because of their very small eyes, members of the genus Malapterurus hunt and navigate almost exclusively by using their EODs. |
| Members of the genus hunt and navigate almost exclusively with their electric organ discharges, or EODs | Because of their very small eyes, members of the genus Malapterurus hunt and navigate almost exclusively by using their EODs. |
| They spend most of the day hiding under shelter, and hunting and feeding peak in the 4 to 5 hours after sunset | Electric catfish are nocturnal and spend most of the day hiding under shelter. M. electricus is most active for a period of 4 to 5 hours after sunset as this is the time when peak hunting and feeding occurs (Belbenoit et al., 1979). |
| A feeding volley can last up to 30 seconds and may hold several hundred EODs, and it often opens with low-frequency "pre-volley" activity that is believed to startle prey | The EOD volleys involved in predation are long-lasting (up to 30 seconds long) and may comprise several hundred EODs. These feeding volleys are often preceded by low frequency "pre-volley" activity, which is believed to startle potential prey (Belbenoit et al., 1979). |
| Electric catfish are opportunistic feeders: they eat fish, take benthic insects, and can manage prey up to half their own size | is a voracious piscivore (Sagua, 1979; Olatunde, 1984) ... It is an opportunistic feeder ... Electric catfish are able to consume prey up to half their size (Sagua,1979). (note: benthic insects: chromosome-2024 claim below. Genus scope: Sagua 1979 and Olatunde 1984 worked in Nigeria (Kainji, Zaria), outside the narrow Nile/Chad range) |
| A high share of wild-caught electric catfish have been found with empty stomachs, which suggests slow-moving, deliberate feeders that eat infrequent, heavy meals | The presence of high percentages of electric catfish with empty stomachs in wild-caught specimens studied suggests that these fish are slow-moving, deliberate feeders with infrequent, heavy meals (Sagua, 1979). |
| Electric catfish are highly territorial | Electric catfish are highly territorial, and defend against intrusions aggressively with their EODs. |
| Against their own kind, a fight opens with open-mouth displays and moves to side-by-side "antiparallel" displays, the two fish pushing and rubbing against each other. These displays generally end the encounter, and only if it escalates to biting does either fish discharge | Against conspecifics, aggressive encounters start out with open mouth displays in one or both fish, followed by lateral displays. In lateral displays, the fish assume an 'antiparallel' positioning, swaying back and forth with arched bodies, and pushing and rubbing against each other. These displays last about 5 to 15 seconds and generally terminate the encounter. ... Only during escalated encounters involving biting does either fish discharge (Rankin & Moller, 1986). |
| A fish of another species too big to eat gets short EOD volleys instead, which are enough to drive it away | When faced with a larger than food-sized intruder of a different species, electric catfish do not utilize any of the ritualized displays such as the open-mouth and lateral displays, but instead utilize short EOD volleys (in contrast to the long predatory volleys), which are sufficient to drive intruders away (Bauer, 1968; Rankin & Moller, 1986). |
| The ancient Egyptians knew them too: electric catfish are unmistakably depicted in bas-reliefs in tombs more than 5,000 years old | Electric catfish were known to the ancient Egyptians, being unmistakably depicted in bas-reliefs in tombs more than 5,000 years old. |
| A night hunter of the Nile and Lake Chad | It is believed that M. electricus is restricted to the Nile River and Lake Chad (Moller, 1995). ... Electric catfish are nocturnal (note: backs tagline) |
| from a genus that can discharge up to 350 volts | The most notable aspect of Malapterurus is its strong electrogenic ability. The electric organ, which is evolved from its pectoral muscle (Johnels, 1957), surrounds the body over most of the length of the fish and is capable of discharging up to 350 V (in a 500 mm fish; Keynes, 1957). (note: backs tagline; genus scope) |
| Usually among rocks and roots in turbid, low-visibility water of the Nile River and Lake Chad | Species in the genus Malapterurus are generally found among rocks or roots in turbid and/or black waters with low visibility (note: backs stats.habitat; the Nile and Lake Chad range is the 'believed to be restricted' claim above) |
| Fish and benthic insects, taken opportunistically, including prey up to half its own size | is a voracious piscivore (Sagua, 1979; Olatunde, 1984) ... It is an opportunistic feeder ... Electric catfish are able to consume prey up to half their size (Sagua,1979). (note: backs stats.diet; benthic insects from chromosome-2024 (Fagbenro et al. 2001)) |
| An electric organ around most of the body; electric catfish can discharge up to 350 volts | The electric organ, which is evolved from its pectoral muscle (Johnels, 1957), surrounds the body over most of the length of the fish and is capable of discharging up to 350 V (in a 500 mm fish; Keynes, 1957). (note: backs stats.superpower; genus scope) |
| Up to 350 volts, a figure given for a fish 500 millimeters (about 20 inches) long | capable of discharging up to 350 V (in a 500 mm fish; Keynes, 1957) (note: backs FAQ 1; 500 mm is about 20 inches) |
| That is enough to give a careless fisherman who handles one an unpleasant surprise, but the shock is not known to be fatal to humans | Aside from giving an unpleasant surprise to the occasional careless fisherman who handles it (the EOD an electric catfish generates is not known to be fatal to humans) (note: backs FAQ 1) |
| Electric catfish are unmistakably depicted in bas-reliefs in tombs more than 5,000 years old, and the ancient Egyptians called them "he who had saved many in the sea." The name was presumably about the shock: an electric catfish netted along with other fish would jolt the fisherman through the wet pole or net, making him let go and freeing his catch | Electric catfish were known to the ancient Egyptians, being unmistakably depicted in bas-reliefs in tombs more than 5,000 years old. The ancient Egyptians called electric catfish "he who had saved many in the sea", presumably because any electric catfish caught together with other fish would shock the fisherman through contact with the wet boating pole or the net, causing him to let go of his net and liberate his catch. (note: backs FAQ 3) |
| An electric catfish hunts by stunning its prey with a paralyzing discharge | hunting and stunning its prey using its paralyzing electrical organ discharge (EOD) |
| electric catfish can put out up to 350 volts from a fish half a meter long | capable of discharging up to 350 V (in a 500 mm fish; Keynes, 1957) (note: 500 mm = half a meter; genus scope, as Keynes 1957 predates the split, so the reason says 'electric catfish' as a group) |
| dangerLevel: Medium | Aside from giving an unpleasant surprise to the occasional careless fisherman who handles it (the EOD an electric catfish generates is not known to be fatal to humans), there are no other known negative effects of M. electricus on humans. |

## Malapterurus electricus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Malapterurus_electricus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| it can live as long as 10 years in the wild | Maximum longevity 10 years (wild) |

## Janetzko, Zimmermann & Volknandt (1987). The electromotor system of the electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus): A fine-structural analysis. Cell and Tissue Research.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00215756

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| several million cells called electroplaques, and each of the fish's two electric organs is supplied by a single giant nerve cell | two large ganglion cells situated in the spinal cord, two single axons containing electric nerves and two large electric organs with several million electroplaque cells (note: 'only one giant neuron' also in adw-electric-catfish (Janetzko et al., 1987)) |

## Ebbesson & O'Donnel (1980). Retinal projections in the electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus). Cell and Tissue Research.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00237894

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Researchers who traced where the nerves from the retina run in the brain found a small, undifferentiated visual system, which suggests sight plays a relatively small role for the fish | Retinal projections were entirely contralateral to the hypothalamic optic nucleus, the lateral geniculate nucleus, the dorsomedial optic nucleus, the pretectal nuclei including the cortical nucleus, and the optic tectum. The small size and lack of differentiation of the visual system in the electric catfish suggest a relatively small role for this sensory system in this species. |
| A 1980 study followed the nerve connections from its retina into the brain and found a visual system that is small and poorly differentiated, which suggests sight plays a relatively small part in how this fish senses its surroundings | Retinal projections were entirely contralateral to the hypothalamic optic nucleus, the lateral geniculate nucleus, the dorsomedial optic nucleus, the pretectal nuclei including the cortical nucleus, and the optic tectum. The small size and lack of differentiation of the visual system in the electric catfish suggest a relatively small role for this sensory system in this species. (note: backs FAQ 2; 1980 = the reference year) |

## Mokhtar et al. (2023). Age, growth and sex ratio of the Catfish Malapterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789) from the Large Reservoir, Lake Nasser, Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries.

https://doi.org/10.21608/ejabf.2023.309325

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| weightKg: 1.5 | the total weight ranged from 192.4 to 2785.9g (note: battleStats.weightKg, midpoint of the 538 Lake Nasser fish (Nile, so M. electricus in the narrow sense) sampled from the 2019 commercial catch, where age groups III+ and IV+ made up 85%; Light class across the whole range, since the heaviest is 2.79 kg against Medium's 10 kg floor. Abstract hand-cached from OpenAlex (#949)) |

## Liu et al. (2023). A chromosome-level genome of electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus) provided new insights into order Siluriformes evolution. Marine Life Science & Technology.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42995-023-00197-8

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| take benthic insects | Electric catfish, which are benthic and live in turbid waters, feed on benthic insects (Fagbenro et al. 2001 ). |

## Sibomana (2025). Malapterurus electricus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T182850A271756554.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t182850a271756554.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). Malapterurus electricus (Gmelin, 1789), IUCN taxon 182850. (note: backs stats.conservationStatus) |