<
https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/a-tiny-desert-fish-hits-a-population-high-in-one-of-earths-harshest-environments/>
"In a glimmer of hope for one of the world’s rarest fish, scientists have
counted 191 Devils Hole pupfish this spring in their tiny desert habitat. This
number marks the highest spring count for the critically endangered species in
more than two decades.
The Devils Hole pupfish (
Cyprinodon diabolis) is found only in the upper
reaches of a single deep limestone cave in the Mojave Desert in the western
U.S. state of Nevada. The entire species lives on a shallow rock shelf
measuring 3.3 by 4.8 meters (11 by 16 feet), making this the smallest known
range of any vertebrate species on the planet.
Twice a year, biologists from the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and Nevada Department of Wildlife peer from scaffolding above the pond
and then enter the water with scuba gear to count pupfish in Devils Hole. They
methodically comb the entire habitat, from the sunny shallows to depths of more
than 30 m (100 ft), looking for the iridescent blue desert dwellers.
“It was really encouraging to see such a large number of young fish during
these spring dives,” said Brandon Senger, supervising fisheries biologist for
the Nevada Department of Wildlife, who has been conducting scuba counts at
Devils Hole since 2014. “Conditions within Devils Hole looked healthy, so we
have hopes of high recruitment over the coming months that will lead to a large
population in the fall.”"
Via
Fix the News:
<
https://fixthenews.com/good-news-water-sanitation-hygiene-poverty-cambodia-barn-owls-uk/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
