01-08-2025
Russia earthquake rattled a Death Valley cavern with rare fish 4,000 miles away
A Death Valley National Park cavern filled with rare and endangered fish rattled when an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit off Russia, park officials said.
But biologists say they aren't worried about the minor impact the July 29 quake had on the fish, the National Park Service said in a July 31 news release.
Devils Hole pupfish live in a 500-foot-deep limestone, water-filled cavern in Nevada that is a 'detached unit' of Death Valley.
These fish have been isolated for 10,000 to 20,000 years and are only found in Devils Hole, making them 'one of the most endangered fish species in the world,' park officials said.
They feed and spawn on the algae in the shallow parts of the cave and live in 93-degree water.
So when an earthquake hit 4,000 miles away, it caused 10-inch waves inside the normally calm and protected environment, jostling sediment and algae from the rocks, officials said.
Biologists said the quake caused a 'minor disturbance' inside the hole, and they believe the algae will regrow during the summer.
'Pupfish typically increase their spawning rates after disturbances, offering hope for a rebound of the Devils Hole Pupfish population,' officials said.
There are concerns about the pupfish after an earthquake because this year there was a 'sudden population decline' following two earthquakes that happened in December and February, park officials said in an April 15 news release.
Biologists counted 38 fish in the cavern in March. That number was 191 the year prior.
Devils Hole pupfish are about 2 inches long and range in colors from blue to green depending on sex.
