Electric eels have an ability to remotely control their prey, according to a new study. The study, reported in the journal Science, indicates that eels use high voltage discharges to control and ultimately capture their prey as opposed to simply stunning it. The sea creature uses its electric organs to control prey, researchers say.

Study leader Kenneth Catania placed an eel and a fish into the same tank to verify the results. Catania and his team discovered that once the eel spots its prey, it releases electrical pulses that seem to immobilize the fish or make it jump up to indicate where it is hiding.

One researcher from Vanderbilt University in Nashbille, Tennessee, discovered that electrical dishcarges from the eel cause the muscles of the prey to twitch. It was later discovered that these electrical pulses play a direct role in activating nerves that control the prey’s muscles.

Dr. Catania said in a statement, “When the eel’s pulses slow down – when the eel gets tired at the end of its attack – you see individual fish twitches, with one twitch from every pulse.”

When observing the eels, Catania also noticed the eel’s unique hunting strategy, which involves giving off pairs of pulses once the possible prey was out of view. He observes that this behavior is most commonly noticed when the eel is excited, sensing that food is near, but cannot yet find it. This behavior generates very strong and fast muscle contraction.

According to National Geographic, electric eels can generate an electrical charge of up to 600 volts in order to stun prey and keep predators at bay.