# Mythbusters question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712 "2004-01-30T04:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/1 "2004-01-30T04:48:16Z")
my cousin was watching mythbusters when I walked into the room one day. It was the last few minutes of an epidode that appeared to be dealing the- electric- eel -desensitizing -a -credit -card myth. I 'd like to know where the hosts got an electric eel from. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/2 "2004-01-30T04:51:36Z")
They went to an acquarium. But they also pointed out that eelskin wallets are not actually made of eels, but out of some disgusting slime fish. ---
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/3 "2004-01-30T05:01:18Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > They went to an acquarium. > > But they also pointed out that eelskin wallets are not actually made of eels, but out of some disgusting slime fish. so the aquarium just let them borrow an eel? ---
**Author:** ![gooti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eb8c5e/32.png) [@gooti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gooti)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/4 "2004-01-30T05:14:20Z")
Apparently, if you’re on TV you have an automatic license to do whatever you want for the appropriate amount of money. The fish that are used for “eelskin” wallets are actually [hagfish](http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/hagfish/hagfish.html). Hagfish don’t emit an electrical charge (despite the slime) but "electric " eels do. It’s not necessarily the electricty that causes the card to go blank, but the magnetizim that it is exposed to. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/5 "2004-01-30T07:07:07Z")
> [@captainQwark](#): > > so the aquarium just let them borrow an eel? No, they exposed the cards to the eel _at_ the aquarium. ---
**Author:** ![TERRA\_Rising](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TERRA\_Rising](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TERRA_Rising)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/6 "2004-01-30T11:07:52Z")
> [@gooti](#): > > Apparently, if you’re on TV you have an automatic license to do whatever you want for the appropriate amount of money. That’s not necessarilly the case. Alot of these organizations are public and a camera crew is free to film whatever they want, within reason of course! Plus, sometimes all you have to do is contact the person in charge and they’ll be more than happy to give you all the information you need and then some! Scientists have a lot to share and are willing to take hours of time explaining things! ---
**Author:** ![Qburn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bc79bd/32.png) [@Qburn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qburn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-question/226712/7 "2004-01-30T18:09:41Z")
The mythbuster’s shop is in the city of South San Francisco. They went to the[Steinhart Aquarium](http://www.calacademy.org/aquarium/) and filmed there with their permission.