A closer look at the Devils Hole Pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis

Last week we posted an article explaining how unwelcome trespassers have recently disrupted the environment and possibly killed a Devil’s Hope Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), one of the rarest fish species on the planet. After hearing of this incident, we thought it would be interesting to learn more about how this fish can survive in such an inhospitable desert environment such as “Death Valley”. We begin with a little history of how this fish has survived more than one conflict with humans. Back in the 1960s, the Pupfish was almost wiped out due to water pumping activities around the geothermal springs where this fish lives. Fortunately for the Pupfish, environmental activists mobilized which led to a US Supreme Court ruling giving protection to the small population