Scientists speculated that a rarely noticed blind creature lives deep underground. Therefore, it was practically unknown. Searching after searching, they found dozens of underground small catfish. Scientists do not exclude that they may discover a new species of fish.
In India, scientists spent six years looking for any signs of a “mysterious” underground creature that locals had noticed. The team toured the Kerala region talking to humans and documenting cases of a potential new fish species. Wichita Eagle writes about it.
According to a study published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology, these creatures only live in underground aquifers.
“Encounters with these subterranean animals often happen by chance or when the gates to the aquatic underground world are carefully studied,” the researchers write.
The team emptied wells and water tanks, searched everything from shallow swamps to home gardens and fields, and installed bait traps in caves in Kerala. As a result, they researched, they were able to reach the result they trusted. They discovered dozens of “weird” underground small catfish. Scientists do not exclude that they may discover a new species of fish.
According to the researchers, Horaglanis populi is a “small, blind, non-pigmented” catfish that lives in Kerala. This “mysterious” fish has no eyes and is “blood-red” in color.
However, none of these features make Horaglanis populi unique, study co-author Nilesh Dahanukar said in an interview with Indian scientific news publication Mongabay-India.
“Our genetic analysis showed that (Horaglanis) populi is genetically significantly different from all other known species, but we were surprised that there were no morphological differences to distinguish it from other species,” said the scientist.
Comparative analysis of DNA samples from Horaglanis populi and other underground catfish showed that the new species had a genetic distance of between 13% and 17% from other known species, the study said. Catfish species are considered separate if their genetic distance exceeds 7%.
“Despite the high genetic diversity between the four species (ground catfish), there are no morphological differences that can help distinguish them. As a result, genetic barcoding is the only way to distinguish these species from one another,” Dahanukar said.
Previously Focus wrote that a whale the size of a five-story building tragically died on an English beach. Locals were shocked to see the huge animal stranded on the beach, and the authorities rushed to help. Unfortunately, rescuing the stranded ocean giant was a nearly impossible task due to its size.
It was also reported that in the United States, marine archaeologists discovered an underwater hospital. Only one grave has been identified so far, but historical records indicate that dozens of American soldiers may be buried in the area.
Source: Focus
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