Electric Eel vs Grand requin marteau

Electrophorus electricus comparé à Sphyrna mokarran

Taxonomy & Classification

Attribut	Electric Eel	Grand requin marteau
Nom scientifique	Electrophorus electricus	Sphyrna mokarran
Ordre	Gymnotiformes	Carcharhiniformes
Famille	Gymnotidae	Sphyrnidae
Conservation Status	Least Concern	Critically Endangered

Physical Traits

Attribut	Electric Eel	Grand requin marteau
Longueur maximale	250,0 cm	610,0 cm
Poids maximum	20,0 kg	580,0 kg
Couleur	Dark olive-gray to grayish-brown cylinder-shaped body with a pale yellowish-orange throat and chin; back uniformly dark; scaleless skin has a smooth appearance; long ribbon-like anal fin is pinkish.	Brownish-gray to olive-gray dorsal surface with a clean countershaded white belly; no distinct patterning; first dorsal fin is tall and strongly falcate; pelvic fin tips dusky.

Habitat & Environment

Attribut	Electric Eel	Grand requin marteau
Type d'eau	Freshwater	Saltwater
Plage de profondeur	—	1-300m
Aire de répartition	Native to the Orinoco and Amazon river basins in Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and Brazil. Inhabits murky, oxygen-depleted floodplain pools, swamps, and slow-moving streams in lowland …	Circumtropical in warm coastal and offshore waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Concentrates around coral reefs, continental shelf edges, and deep-water drop-offs; population …
Habitat	Estuaries	Neritic

Cuisine & Edibility

Electric Eel

Not consumed — an ornamental and scientific novelty species kept in specialized aquarium exhibits; edible in principle but extremely dangerous to handle due to powerful electric discharge.

Grand requin marteau

Critically Endangered — consumption strongly discouraged. Fins are historically traded but the species faces severe population decline; eating this fish is ecologically irresponsible.

Species Overview

Electric Eel

Despite its name, the electric eel is not a true eel but a knifefish. It can generate electrical discharges of up to 860 volts to stun prey and defend itself. About 80% of its body is dedicated to three electric organs.

Grand requin marteau

The great hammerhead is the largest of the nine hammerhead shark species. Its distinctive cephalofoil (hammer-shaped head) houses an array of electroreceptors that allow it to detect stingrays buried beneath the sand.