Do electric eels produce AC or DC electricity and is there actually any significant current behind it?

Question

Do electric eels produce AC or DC electricity and is there actually any significant current behind it?

Answer 1

Eels produce AC electricity and yes there is significant current behind it. It is pulsed current and can be dangerous to humans.

EDITS:

The organs give the electric eel the ability to generate two types of electric organ discharges (EODs), low voltage and high voltage.

The Sachs organ is associated with electrolocation. Inside the organ are many muscle-like cells, called electrocytes. Each cell can only produce 0.15V, though working together the organ transmits a signal of about 10V in amplitude at around 25 Hz. { AC Voltage and current.}

High-voltage EODs are emitted by the main organ and the Hunter's organ that can be emitted at rates of several hundred Hz. { AC Voltage and current.}

Best Wishes.

Answer 2

500V at 1 amp = 500W.  Almost 1 horsepower.  I'd call that significant.  Enough to stun or kill, obviously...since they hunt with it.  

Funny thing is...I saw on a show that the eel itself isn't immune to the shock.  It cringes when it fires the jolt...kind of like a shooter flinching from the recoil of a rifle.  But it's got "hardening" so it's less affected.

Pretty cool.

Answer 3

It's DC and enough to stun its food. If you've ever seen a demonstration in an aquarium or zoo, you may have noticed that the handler is wearing rubber gloves. That's not just to keep his hands dry. Usually the current produced lights up several bulbs in the demo.