What Do Dolphins & Electric Eels Have in Common?

Dolphins

• Dolphins are members of the scientific families Platanistidae (river dwellers) and Delphinidae (ocean dwellers). Although some experts say that dolphins are related to whales, the answer is not clear cut. However, most authorities assert that dolphins are actually a type of whale. A common dolphin grows to 8 feet long and weighs 165 pounds. Their upper body ranges in color from black to dark blue, while their underside is white. Dolphins have an average life span of 50 years.

Electric Eels

• While there are a number of aquatic animals that create an electric charge, electric eels are the only members of their scientific genus. They are elongated, scaleless creatures that are usually grayish brown, and have the appearance of a snake. Electric eels grow to 9 feet in length and 48 pounds. They are related to catfish and carp, and can emit an electrical charge ranging from 10 to 650 volts. The electric charge serves as protection from predators and provides assistance in securing prey.

Deceptive Appearances

• Both dolphins and eels have the appearance of one type of animal, but are actually another. Dolphins look like fish, but instead are warm-blooded mammals. Despite its snake-like appearance, electric eels are not eels or snakes; they are actually fish.

Respiration

• Electric eels and dolphins frequently come to the surface of water to breathe.

Diet

• Electric eels and dolphins are carnivorous, meaning they eat meat. Both have diverse diets that mutually include crustaceans and fish.

Enemies

• Both dolphins and electric eels have few natural enemies. A dolphin's only natural predators are sharks and killer whales, both of which do not eat dolphin as a primary food choice. While electric eels have no known natural predators, they are consumed by people on occasion.

Taxonomy and Anatomy

• Both dolphins and electric eels are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata. Creatures that are members of Chordata have notochords at some phase of their development. This means at some point they have a stiffening rod as their main internal skeletal support. Since dolphins and electric eels are further classified in Vertebrata, this stiffening rod is the equivalent of both having a spine or backbone.