It’s not every day that someone discovers a brand new species of animal… but that’s exactly what just happened in a routinely surveyed cave in Alabama. Matthew Niemiller, who directs the cave biology lab at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, stumbled (quite literally) into an entirely new species of fish… and now, it’s named after a famous ‘Stranger Things’ monster! (And Greek myth, of course.) Keep scrolling to learn more.
Wait… what’s going on?
On July 6th, Scientific Reports journal published the findings of lead author and researcher, Matthew Niemiller: a pale, eyeless fish that was hiding “in plain sight” in a cave system under WWII chemical weapons facility in Alabama.
According to Live Science, Niemiller explains that the discovery happened by chance, during a routine survey of the “extensively studied” subterranean cave system. The water quality in this cave system is regularly monitored to ensure the safety of the endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp, which also reside there.
During one of those checks, Niemiller states,
I slipped in the mud at the back of the Shrimp Room [Bobcat Cave’s largest chamber] and fell into a deeper pool. During my graceful plummet, I disturbed a cavefish and crayfish underneath a rock ledge.
Immediately, Niemiller started taking photos… and in looking at the pictures later, that’s when he noticed that the specimen in the images was something entirely undiscovered: the eyeless demon cavefish, Demogorgonichthys arcanus.
Demogorgonichthys arcanus, the ‘Demon Cavefish’
So… how does this connect to ‘Stranger Things’? Great question. It’s all in the name. Biologists have named this new cave fish Demogorgonichthys arcanus, after the famous ‘Stranger Things’ monsters, the Demogorgons!
Of course, this name also comes from the Greek mythology of an underworld demon, which is also where Stranger Things’ Demogorgon gets its name.
The Demon Cavefish, since, as far as humankind knows, only exists in this one specific cave and the reservoir below it, are one of the rarest fish in existence. In addition, according to researchers, this demon cavefish would meet the criteria of a “critically endangered” species, under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Bobcat Cave
Bobcat Cave, where these new Demon Cavefish reside, along with the endangered Alabama Cave Shrimp, is a very unique ecosystem.
Live Science states,
The conditions in Bobcat Cave have likely been influenced by the history of the military base above it. Redstone Arsenal made various chemical weapons during World War II. At the end of the war, vast quantities of chemical munitions were buried at the site, along with chemical weapons from overseas, like British mustard gas and nerve agents and other toxic weapons recovered from Nazi Germany. The site is the subject of ongoing investigations, clean-ups and storage.
The cave is also connected to surface water, which experiences runoff from the city of Huntsville, Alabama.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Demon Cavefish, Dr. Niemiller, or their studies at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, you can visit the scientific journal where their research is published, here!
We’re always thrilled to see a discovery like this!