World's Rarest Fish Makes Comeback in Unlikely Spot

(This content was created with the help of AI.) A tiny blue fish making its last stand in Death Valley just got a much-needed boost.

National Park Service biologists counted 137 Devils Hole pupfish in an October survey—up from a record low of just 20 last year, and about double both last year's count and the count from this past spring, reports SFGate.

The fish live only in one water-filled cavern in Nevada's Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, in a detached part of Death Valley, per the Nevada Current.

Devils Hole is hot, low in oxygen, and barely stocked with nutrients, making it the smallest known habitat for any vertebrate, per SFGate.

Scientists credit supplemental feeding, a captive-breeding program, and the release of six dozen fish last year into early this year for the rebound, though earthquakes that slosh away the algae they eat remain a major threat.

Officials call the results encouraging but warn that intensive monitoring and habitat work will be needed to keep the world's rarest fish around. "While challenges remain, we're encouraged by this progress and committed to its long-term survival," Death Valley Superintendent Mike Reynolds says in a National Park Service release.

More From Newser

• World's Rarest Fish Makes Comeback in Unlikely Spot
• Small Bright Spot of Iran War: Global Emissions Are Down
• Scientists Find a Rare 15K-lb.

Baby Hiding in Plain Sight