Blind Fish Discovered in a South China Cave

[FamTimes reporter Park Joo-hye] An international team of scientists has discovered an extremely rare cave-dwelling creature in China.

Known as the humpback golden-scaled freshwater fish, or 'Sinocyclocheilus cyphotergous,' the fish has nearly all its pigmentation and is pearly white.

The fish has eyes but can barely see.

Described by the scientists as alien-like, the fish is related to carp, koi and goldfish. It has a small horn on its back, but the horn's function is unknown.

Dr. Zhao Yahui, a zoologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the Chinese Cavefish Working Group, the scientific team that discovered the fish, described it as "the strangest freshwater fish and one of the rarest fish in the world."

Since the species was first discovered in 1988, no ecological data about it have been available, and only two specimens have been preserved in museum collections.

Although China is now home to numerous fish species, this fish had not been found for decades despite surveys by many research teams.

Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp, director of conservation at the San Antonio Zoo, speculated that "this fish may have been a species similar to a white, long-whiskered whale."

Meanwhile, the research team has brought some specimens to a Chinese Academy of Sciences laboratory and is studying them to determine the horn's function and other characteristics.

Because cave ecosystems currently face numerous threats, scientists are trying to find ways to preserve the fish's habitat.

Reporter Park Joo-hye, fam1@pcss.co.kr