typhlonectes: GREAT NEWS! - Recovery efforts are paying off for the critically endangered Devi
typhlonectes: GREAT NEWS! - Recovery efforts are paying off for the critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish. This past April, scientists counted 175 pupfish! The last time numbers were this high during a spring count was 22 years ago. The fish are in “remarkable condition and very active,” according to Nevada Department of Wildlife supervisory fish biologist Brandon Senger. Devils Hole, located within Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Nevada, is a water-filled, geothermal cave system containing carbonate-rich and oxygen-poor water. Water conditions here remain at a constant 93°F in deeper reaches of the cave, and it’s the only natural habitat for Devils Hole pupfish. “It’s just such a different species and it is remarkable that it has managed to survive,“ said our fish biologist Michael Schwemm. “It lacks pelvic fins due to the extreme conditions such as low food resources and high temperature, adapting to habitat conditions which have evolved over time.”The story: http://ow.ly/nhz050JaB07 -- source link