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Scientists Make Wild ‘Demon’ Species Discovery Under Army Base
The Daily Beast • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered a new eyeless, colorless fish species named Demogorgonichthys arcanus in Bobcat Cave beneath the heavily monitored Redstone Arsenal Army base in Alabama.
- The fish appears faintly electric blue and represents a new freshwater fish genus in eastern North America, a rare and significant find compared to discovering a new big cat species.
- Despite Bobcat Cave being monitored quarterly for over 30 years, this species went unnoticed, highlighting gaps in biological inventories even in well-explored locations.
- Demogorgonichthys arcanus evolved its lack of eyes and pigment independently from another cavefish species in the same cave, demonstrating separate evolutionary paths into the underground environment.
- The discovery underscores the hidden biodiversity that remains to be uncovered and challenges assumptions about known ecosystems.
