New research reveals that electric eels can spring out of the water and administer powerful electric shocks to would-be predators.

Electric eels will attack large, partially submerged objects by raising up out of the water and zapping perceived threats, according to a study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research lends credibility to a legendary account by 19th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who said he witnessed electric eels leaping from the waters of the Amazon and shocking horses.

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Sequence of images showing electric eel attacking a fake alligators head outfitted with LED lights to show the strength and extent of the electric pulses that the eel is generating. (Photo: Courtesy of Kenneth Catania / Vanderbilt)