{"id":7983,"date":"2026-07-31T20:40:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T20:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7983"},"modified":"2026-07-31T20:40:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T20:40:54","slug":"scientists-discover-an-eyeless-cavefish-in-alabama-and-name-it-after-stranger-things-monster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=7983","title":{"rendered":"Scientists discover an eyeless cavefish in Alabama and name it after \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 monster"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Bobcat Cave near Huntsville is home to the endangered Alabama cave shrimp, two species of cave crayfish and the southern cavefish. Those were all Dr. Matthew Niemiller expected to find when he set out to survey the cave system last year.\n <\/p>

Read more Kamala Harris says the US Supreme Court should expand to 13 justices<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Instead, he discovered a bizarre-looking fish, previously unknown to science. Niemiller said he believes this fish may be among the rarest in the world.\n <\/p>\n

\n The newfound species is eyeless and features a hunchback, spiny rays and a snout shape unlike that of other cavefish species. What\u2019s more, the fish completely lacks pigment; beneath its translucent skin, you can see its brain.\n <\/p>\n

\n This transparency isn\u2019t that uncommon, said Dr. Jonathan Armbruster, curator of fishes at the Auburn University Museum of Natural History in Auburn, Alabama, and a coauthor of a recent study on the discovery.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cYou usually see it in the smaller fishes, things that live in open water,\u201d Armbruster said. \u201cThey\u2019ll often have a clear body so that they can be cryptic in the clear waters.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

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\nDorsolateral and ventral views of the demon cavefish (B and D, respectively) and the southern cavefish (A and C, respectively).<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Matthew L. Niemiller\/Niemiller Nature LLC.<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n The creature resembles the stuff of sci-fi dramas \u2014 and, fittingly, it has been dubbed Demogorgonichthys arcanus, or demon cavefish, a name derived from the monster Demogorgon in the Netflix TV series \u201cStranger Things.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Initially, Niemiller, the new study\u2019s lead author, was uncertain whether the fish belonged to a previously discovered species: the southern cavefish.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve seen how variable cavefish can be, and I\u2019ve been fooled before by animals that looked different but were genetically very similar,\u201d said Niemiller, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. \u201cBut this one was different in ways that kept holding up.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Niemiller shared photos of the fish with Armbruster and Dr. Pamela Hart, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Alabama who is also a coauthor of the study.\n <\/p>\n

\n Upon comparing the specimens with the southern cavefish, Armbruster said he started noticing the differences. The team performed CT scans, genetic tests and other analysis on the fish and discovered that these bizarre-looking creatures were skeletally different from other already identified animals in the cave.\n <\/p>\n

\n Based on these results, the researchers described the fish as a newly identified genus and species.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s unclear how many demon cavefish exist, but they may be among the rarest fish in the world, Niemiller said. \u201cThe species is known from a single site based on our best knowledge with presumably a very small population size,\u201d Niemiller wrote in a text message.\n <\/p>\n

\n The team\u2019s findings were published July 6 in the journal Scientific Reports.\n <\/p>\n

\n A name fit for a sci-fi creature\n<\/h2>\n

\n In the series \u201cStranger Things,\u201d a monster named Demogorgon stalks the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. The origins of the word Demogorgon are unclear; while scholars theorize that it has Greek roots, creators of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which debuted in the 1970s, adopted the name for a villain. Decades later, Netflix used it for the \u201cStranger Things\u201d monster.\n <\/p>

Read more \u2018Super-Earth\u2019 planet shows signs it could have an atmosphere<\/a><\/p>\n

\n When the demon cavefish was discovered, \u201cStranger Things\u201d was close to releasing another season. Armbruster, a longtime fan of the series, suggested naming the fish after the Demogorgon.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhat do you call a plain white, eyeless, rather nondescript thing? I mean, it\u2019s hard to come up with descriptive names for something like that, and so what you\u2019ll see is a lot of cave organisms have some kind of tie-in with underground creatures of some sort,\u201d Armbruster said.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Colobus<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nColobus congensis, known locally as Likweli, has a dramatic black face with pinkish-orange lips.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Junior Amboko<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nMonkey with orange lips identified as newfound species<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

3 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n Little is known about this cavefish. Researchers aren\u2019t able to tell male and female fish apart, and they have \u201czero clue\u201d about its reproduction, Armbruster said.\n <\/p>\n

\n As for what it feeds on, the demon cavefish likely eats whatever can fit in its mouth, Armbruster said.\n <\/p>\n

\n A sign of more unidentified species\n<\/h2>\n

\n The discovery of the demon cavefish also suggests there could be other unidentified species, even in intensively studied areas, according to the study. These species may take refuge in access-restricted lands, such as military installations, the study said. Bobcat Cave, the site of the demon cavefish\u2019s discovery, is beneath the US Army\u2019s Redstone Arsenal.\n <\/p>\n

\n Dr. Suzanne McGaugh, a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies the evolution of cavefish, described discoveries of new North American vertebrate species such as the demon cavefish as \u201cexceedingly rare.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s amazing that two cavefish species live in the same cave despite evolving through separate journeys from different ancestors, McGaugh said, referring to the demon cavefish and southern cavefish.\n <\/p>\n

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\"Nicky_Bay_Araneae-Smodicinus-P1014000.jpg\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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Nicky Bay\/The Wilderness Project<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nFluorescent spider and armored cricket among incredible discoveries in Angola<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

4 min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n The last time he was in Bobcat Cave, Niemiller said he saw 27 demon cavefish, but this number likely isn\u2019t indicative of the entire population. Still, the recharge basin, which influences the amount and quality of groundwater entering the system, is \u201cvery small,\u201d Armbruster said, indicating the demon cavefish is likely critically endangered.\n <\/p>\n

\n Because water quality protections are already in place near the cave, Armbruster said it\u2019s \u201cpretty unlikely\u201d the fish will go extinct.\n <\/p>\n

\n Cave organisms can be like \u201ccanaries in a coal mine,\u201d Armbruster said. If populations fall, it is possible that the groundwater is contaminated.\n <\/p>\n

\n Through identifying the demon cavefish, scientists are a step closer to solving the planet\u2019s biodiversity crisis, he added. \u201cWe need to understand what our planet is like in order to make sure that we survive into the future,\u201d Armbruster said. \u201cIt\u2019s great we can keep cave fish alive, but ultimately, it\u2019s about our own survival as well.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.\n<\/p>

Read more New York City Legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak linked to 7 deaths declared over<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scientists have found a newly identified cavefish species in Alabama. 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