Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Rare subterranean fish rediscovered in Brazil

A rare species of blind fish has been found again underground in Brazil. It has been 50 years since the last known member of this species was found in 1962 in a water well in the city of Jaiba, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A group set out to rediscover the fish known as Stygichthys typhlops. When found, the specimen was taken to American ecologist Dr. Joseph Tosi Jr. who was in the region at the time and then spoke of by specialists back in the US. To find the species of fish, researchers interviewed inhabitants of the town, who said that they had spotted the fish in water wells around the town. However, the region's dry climate makes them rely heavily on ground water, making the water in the aquifers drop considerably. This made it hard for researchers to find a wet well, however two were eventually found with the fish swimming in them. A total of 34 specimens were found. Scientists are realizing what needs to be done to keep this species from becoming extinct, as the overuse of the groundwater in the area is attributing to the decline in the species' survival.

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It is a good thing we can manage to find these species of animals now before they're completely extinct. Every type of animal is important to this planet, living or dead. It's astounding how many previously-thought extinct organisms are reappearing these days, who knows, we may even find a nest of dodo somewhere out there. If we can find the species, we can save it by implementing good strategies to keep them alive. There are so many unexplored places on this planet, who knows what else there is?

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