Electric eel powers aquatic Christmas

The Tennessee Aquarium is lighting its Christmas tree using an unusual power source: an electric eel. The eel, known as Miguel Wattson, releases low-voltage bursts of electricity while searching for food, aquarist Kimberly Hurt said.

How does it work? A special system connects the eel’s tank to a strand of blinking lights on a nearby Christmas tree. Miguel emits higher voltage shocks, powering brighter flashes, when he is eating or excited.

Dig deeper: Check out the eel’s Twitter account, coded by the University of Tennessee’s iCube center to tweet when he releases a burst of energy.