Can an Electric Eel Power Christmas Lights? [VIDEO]

Meet Miguel Wattson, the Tennessee Aquarium's resident electric eel. Miguel helps around the holidays by simply being himself. So how does he light up the Christmas tree?

First, watch Miguel in action:

As the aquarium's audio-visual production specialist Joey Turnipseed explains:

"The speakers convert the discharge into the sound you hear and the festively flashing lights".

Turnipseed attached sensors to Wattson's tank that harnesses his electrical discharge to a set of speakers.

As Miguel tries to find food, he releases a constant flow of low-voltage blips and when he's eating or he's excited, he emits higher voltage shocks. However, electric eels typically only emit 10 volts of electricity. They are capable of emitting up to 800 volts which is the electric eel's defense mechanism and is its ability to stun prey.

Wattson resides in the Rivers of the World gallery at the Chattanooga attraction.

And, he has his own Twitter account, with over 40,000 followers. Shocking.