# What are eels?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548/what-are-eels
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548/what-are-eels.md
Podcast: [But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids](https://stenobird.com/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548)
Published: 2026-05-15T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids/2026-05-15/what-are-eels
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/_/326/3ee51aa3-3293-4874-a78b-b374446ace11/ButWhy_Eels_Ep291.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548/episodes/what-are-eels
Duration seconds: 1384

## Resource

What are eels? And why are some eels electric? We head to Poughkeepsie, New York to learn about eels with Chris Bowser, Hudson River estuary educator with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Plus we learn about electric eels. Electric eels have captured the imagination of many people, but they’re not actually considered eels by the scientific community. They’re a type of knife fish, more closely related to catfish and carp. But they are electric! So we’ll tackle why they’re electric and how they create electricity. David de Santana, of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, tells us what it’s like to study electric eels in the Amazon. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

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## Transcript

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