Electric Eel Xmas Tree

[den4]

Just what you always wanted for Christmas...to shock your friends and family


KAKAMIGAHARA, Gifu -- An aquarium filled with exotic fish here is using an electric eel to power lights on a Christmas tree.

Each time the electric eel at the Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium touches a copper wire in its tank, it sends power that lights up globes decking a Christmas tree.

Officials expect the "eel Christmas tree" to be a popular attraction for dating couples in the lead-up to Christmas Day, when the tree will be removed.

Electric eels are capable of generating electricity in their bodies. They have notoriously poor eyesight and use electric shocks to stun prey so they can catch and eat them.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news...na017000c.html

[asay]

Hmm, kinda sceptical about this since the electric eel is capable of one or two electric shocks at a time before needing rest for the next few........
So how would that power a xmas tree for 24hrs straight during xmas?
Also wouldnt the shocks blow the lightings since electric eels are like taser guns with like 100k Volts of power??? then again they can just fix the output with resistors to fix that problem

[chiongster]

No problem asay. They can just import the mouse-power wheel generator from China as power backup.

[den4]

Hmm, kinda sceptical about this since the electric eel is capable of one or two electric shocks at a time before needing rest for the next few........
So how would that power a xmas tree for 24hrs straight during xmas?
Also wouldnt the shocks blow the lightings since electric eels are like taser guns with like 100k Volts of power??? then again they can just fix the output with resistors to fix that problem

After watching a news item on the FNN news channel regarding this story, they had set up special sensor that would gather the electrical discharges every time the eel moved, and it showed that when the eel moved to eat or breathe, it would light up portions of the tree, so apparently it didn't need to use its total electrical discharge power just to light up the tree. And, I'm sure, they disconnected the tree when the aquarium closed down for the night, so this would make sense.