Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe SANDY, Utah, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- The Living Planet Aquarium in Utah says it is using an electric eel to power the lights on a Christmas tree in its "Journey To South America" gallery. Terry Smith, project manager at Cache Valley Electric, said the electricity generated by an eel in a nearby tank causes the four strands of lights on the 5-foot tree to flash intermittently at the Sandy aquarium. Advertisement Officials at the aquarium said electric eels can discharge specialized cells called electrocytes simultaneously to create a 600-volt electric charge equal to about five times the power of a standard U.S. wall socket. "Visitors can visually and audibly experience the power of our electric eel and get a real sense of how amazing this creature is," said Angie Hyde, director of public relations and marketing. "We thought we'd put a festive twist on it for the holidays which has been a huge hit with our members and visitors." The eel-powered tree will be on display through Dec. 31, officials said. Read More Eels may have been falsely labeled Thief makes off with 160 live eels Team to study eels' disappearance Format of charity dead eel battle changed