It generally inhabits sandy flats, rocky reefs, and kelp forests from the surface to a depth of 200 m (660 ft), but has also been known to make forays into the open ocean.

Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, meaning that the embryos are initially nourished by yolk, later supplemented by histotroph ("uterine milk") produced by the mother.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed this species under Least Concern, as it is not fished in any significant numbers.

However, one individual has been videotaped 17 km (11 mi) west of Point Pinos, Monterey County, California, swimming 10 m (33 ft) below the surface in water 3 km (1.9 mi) deep; this and other observations suggest that this species makes periodic excursions away from shallow coastal habitats into the epipelagic zone.

Although it has fairly stable populations, detailed information on its abundance throughout its entire range is scarce, mainly because the species holds little commercial or charismatic value.

[11] The Pacific electric ray has a soft, flabby, limp depressiform body type lacking placoid scales (dermal denticles) typically found on cartilaginous fish.

It is about 1.2 times as wide as long, with a nearly straight front margin and a pair of kidney-shaped electric organs visible beneath the skin.

Pacific electric rays are founded in Japan, south Kuril Islands, and Kinmei Seamount; Wiah Point, Graham Island, northern British Columbia to Todos Santos, southern Baja California, including Isla Guadalupe, central Baja California, and Peru.

Following their dorsal fin is their short, stocky caudal peduncle (tail) ranging from 24.0–39.3 cm (9.4–15.5 in) in length,[11] with a nearly straight trailing margin.

This ray is dark gray, slate, or brown above, sometimes with small darker spots that increase in number with age; however, all have a pale or white ventral side.

Finally, male Pacific electric rays have claspers, which are paired modified pelvic fins used for reproduction purposes.

With a sizable oily liver and low-density tissues, the Pacific electric ray is almost neutrally buoyant and can hover in the water column with very little effort.

[18] Telemetry studies have shown that this species swims primarily at night, when it enters reefs and other habitats with high terrain relief, and spends most of the day in nearby open areas buried in sediment.

These columns function essentially like batteries connected in parallel; a large adult ray can generate some 45 volts of electricity with a power output of one kilowatt, due to low internal resistance.

[22] The Cooper's nutmeg (Cancellaria cooperi) is a specialized parasite of this ray, and possibly other bottom-dwelling fishes such as the Pacific angelshark (Squatina californica).

[23] Other known parasites of this species include the copepod Trebius latifurcatus,[24] the fluke Amphibdelloides maccallumi,[25] and the tapeworm Acanthobothrium hispidum.

[26] The Pacific electric ray feeds mainly on bony fishes, including anchovies, herring, hake, mackerel, croakers, rockfishes, surfperches, kelp bass, and flatfishes, but will also take cephalopods and invertebrates given the opportunity.

[3][27] Its jaws are highly distensible, allowing it to swallow surprisingly large prey: one female 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long has been observed ingesting a silver salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) nearly half her length.

[19] At night, when many diurnal fishes descend from the water column and become inactive a short distance above the bottom, the Pacific electric ray switches to an active hunting strategy.

To better secure the fish within its disc, the ray will make short kicks with its tail that sometimes send it into barrel rolls or somersaults.

[18] Nighttime seine net sampling at the surface of Monterey Bay has captured Pacific electric rays in surprising numbers, suggesting that they rise upward from the bottom to feed on small fishes.

Mechanical sensory cues, detected via the lateral line, also play an important role: this species has been observed preferentially attacking faster-moving prey even if a closer food item was available.

[19] The Pacific electric ray exhibits aplacental viviparity, meaning that the female retains in utero the encapsulated embryo, which completes development and hatches within the parent,[29] with the developing embryos at first receiving nourishment from yolk, and later from histotroph ("uterine milk", enriched with proteins, fat, and mucus) produced by the mother and delivered through specialized outgrowths of the uterine lining.

[3] Male grow faster than females but reach a smaller ultimate size, known as the von Bertalanffy growth model.

Their preferred habitats, kelp forests, and rocky reefs, are being degraded, polluted, and destroyed, which presents a potential challenge to this species.

The warming of our oceans due to climate change is causing a shift in species ranges, and altercations to our marine ecosystems could affect their distribution.

Shifts in water temperature could affect its habitat range or prey availability, though the exact impacts are not yet fully understood.