Devils Hole pupfish population reaches 19-year high in Nevada

Devils Hole pupfish population reaches 19-year high in Nevada

Source: KNPR

9/29/2022

Devils Hole pupfish population reaches 19-year high in Nevada

Credit: Death Valley National Park

Good news for one of the rarest fish on earth: Officials announced a count of 263 Devils Hole pupfish in their small Nevada cavern, the most they've observed in 19 years.

The count was made after a 7.6 earthquake in Mexico "sloshed" around the small area on Sept. 19. Scientists used scuba and surface counters.

The critically endangered fish live in the upper 80 feet of a deep water-filled cavern, which makes it the smallest range of any vertebrate species on the planet, according to officials. The area is a detached unit of Death Valley National Park, near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nye County.

The count is seasonal, and the highest since Sept. 2003. Decades ago, the count was around 400 to 500 in the fall.

Pupfish, Devil's Hole