Electric Eel Powers Christmas Tree
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 12.11.07
It's Japan: It's expected to see eel on the menu. But under the Christmas tree? Turns out this order of Anguilliformes is an untapped source of alternative energy. At the Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium in Kakamigahara, Gifu, an electric eel powers up a Christmas tree each time it touches a cooper wire installed in its tank. The wire sends the eel's natural electricity up to the globes in the tree, which shine down some holiday cheer on couples (Christmas is considered a time for romance in the country, and the eel is expected to be a popular date attraction.) Nearly blind, eels use electricity to shock their prey into submission before they chow down.
Don't have an eel on hand? You can still make that tree green with a flat-pack tree or a potted pine.
Random fact: Locals on the Pacific island of Huahine in French Polynesia worship the 3- to 6-foot long eels found in a stream. According to local mythology, they are sacred. Thanks for the tip, Meg! via ::Mainichi Daily News ::Wikipedia ::Inventerspot.com
Image top: Courtesy of the New England Aquarium. Image bottom: Courtesy of Mainichi Daily News
I hope this sacred eel has a more respectable habitat than the twister-like floor and petite glass frame shown above.
That thing is so cute.
I sure am craving some sushi right now!
This is cool. A hybrid in every garage and two eels for every home!
That is sort of cool, but it's cruel to leave the poor thing stuck in that tiny little tank!!! How does it live in there..?
can we learn from the eels and tap our own energy in the same way?
@chris
Do you mean tap human energy like in The Matrix ? :)
I hope some day aliens arrive and start caging humans for entertainment. Soon. No really, I think it'd be a blast!