Chris Seitz, age 8, of Brookfield, Wisconsin, for his question:

How do eels get their electricity?

The electric eel is a huge snaky fellow, often six feet long. Actually he is not a snake and not even related to the true eels. Strange to say, he is related to the pretty little goldfishes. He lives in South American streams, shooting his electric shocks through the murky waters. He gets his electricity from batteries that are part of his body.

Though this snaky fellow is six feet long, his tail takes up more than five feet of his total length. This remarkable tail is packed with special cells that work together like batteries. He has one big battery and two small ones, packed with more than 5,000 little electric organs. Most of the time he gives off lots of little shocks to test his way through the water. His biggest shocks are strong enough to stun a horse. And after a few big shocks, he must wait awhile to recharge his living batteries.