The exact date of discovery is unknown. But, people knew about electric eels long before the discovery of electricity. The “electric” eel didn’t get its scientific name (Electrophorus electricus) until about 250 years ago. Before that, it was called “arimma” by the indigenous people of Venezuela. “Arimma” translates to “something that deprives you of motion”. Early European naturalists later referred to the fish as a “numb eel”.