Eelskin leather is eschewed by many persons for purses or wallets under the belief that the skin from an electric eel will produce residual amounts of electricity which will demagnetize credit cards. This fear is without rational basis.
First of all, it takes about 1,000 gauss of magnetism to effect a credit card (the earth's magnetic field, which is strong enough to effect compass needles, is about one gauss in comparison).
Second, eelskin leather is not produced from electric eels, or even ordinary eels. It comes instead from a hagfish, which is a repulsive worm-shaped fish which zoologists suspect, but are not sure, is related to a lamprey.
Hagfish are known for being the only chordates which routinely tie themselves up in knots (the rat kings described in an earlier Factoid are not routine). They are also renowned for producing enormous quantities of disgusting slime, which is perhaps why their leather is so soft and supple.
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