this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
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Funny: Home of the Haha

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[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 40 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (3 children)

Electricity was discovered around 600 bc, electric eels weren’t discovered til the 1740s (named in 1766). Natives in South America likely interacted with them, but we don’t have any records of what they called them. Most likely though we would’ve named them something to do with lightning if we hadn’t figured out electricity when we found them.

https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-what-electric-eels-called-before-electricity/

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 61 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Unfortunately, your article was pretty lazily written. IDK how they even got away with it. It took me about 5 seconds of googling to find that indigenous people in Venezuela called them "Arimna" or “something that deprives you of motion.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/09/electric-eel-three-species-what-a-shock/597709/

[–] MaxHardwood@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Are you suggesting a blog posted on a-z-animals.com is not a reliable source for facts??

Shocked. I'm absolutely shocked.

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Right lol. This was more of a response pointing out that the other commenter in this thread who got down voted into oblivion was actually raising a good point.

[–] marcos@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

but we don’t have any records of what they called them

It's quite likely they used to call them by a name similar to the one they call it now. It sounds nothing like "electric eel" though.

[–] quilan@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The German Zitteraale translates roughly to "{tremble/vibrate/shiver} eel"

[–] Skua@kbin.social 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

This /r/AskHistorians post has a nice discussion on it. While there's little in the way of records for precolonial South American names for it, one person has found the example of arimna, "that which deprives of motion".

[–] abadbronc@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Guy: Dude, that skinny fish just bit me!!

Friend: It didn't even touch you, pussy.

Guy: I swear to God it got me.

Friend: Got you with what, its scary fish magic?

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Acoustic eels

[–] iamanurd@midwest.social 6 points 2 years ago

Spicy water snakes

[–] Lizardking27@lemmy.world 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Electricity was actually named after the eels.

[–] NoSpotOfGround@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Electricity was named after amber. (Because it has a visible electrostatic effect when rubbed with a cloth.)

[–] Lizardking27@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Pretty sure it was the eels.

[–] unomar@midwest.social 4 points 2 years ago

Tingly enemas

[–] Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago
[–] mfdoom@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Gyarados obviously

[–] nothingcorporate@lemmy.today 2 points 2 years ago
[–] guyrocket@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

Snappy snakes

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 1 points 2 years ago
[–] Th4tGuyII@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago

Probably something to do with lightning or stinging - as those concepts have been around much longer than humans have been around electric eels

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 1 points 2 years ago

Gymnotus electricus