The only fish isolated from the world for 50,000 years, there are only 38 left, and was almost eaten by a drunk with a pot

As humans exploit nature, news of endangered species is frequently seen in the news media, causing great rethinking.

In the last century, the United States found fish in Death Valley that had been isolated from the world for 50,000 years into the 21st century. At one point there were only 38 fish left, and the alcoholics had almost eaten them all.

Death Valley and Devil's Cave

Death Valley in Nevada, USA is known for its drought and high temperatures. In the hot summer, the heat in Death Valley can even reach more than 50 degrees Celsius.

The extreme environment is not suitable for most people to survive. People never expected a new species to appear here.

Devil's Cave is one of the few places in Death Valley where there is water. It is more than 100 meters deep and never sees the light of day. In the darkness of the cave, it relies on underground water sources.

This rare fish is also known as the magical salamander. The miraculous salamander fish belongs to the category of salamander fish. It is only about 2.7 cm in length, almost as big as an adult's fingernail. Because it lives in the devil's cave, people call it the magical salamander fish.

And it is the nutrients underground that have allowed the devil fish to survive and continue for 50,000 years.

The devilfish is the world's smallest vertebrate and can only be found in the devilfish's cave.

When this amazing salamander was discovered in the last century, it still numbered as many as 400. With the mining and destruction of the groundwater in Death Valley, the population of the magical salamander fish has plummeted.

60,000 years ago, the Earth was still in an ice age. Death Valley in the United States has numerous water systems and abundant fish resources.

About 50,000 years ago, as the ice age receded, the magic fish went underground with the water system.

The magic fish survived the cold years, experienced the harsh and arid environment, and remained isolated from the world for 50,000 years. It was not until an unexpected scientific exploration that it was finally introduced.

American scientists call this magical fish "the miracle of life", and the head of Death Valley Park says it is incredible that there are fish in this place.

To protect the devil fish, the U.S. authorities erected barbed wire around the Devil's Hole to prevent tourists from stepping on it.

However, this does not seem to work for drunks.

The end of drunkenness

In 2016, three drunken drunks came to Death Valley. Over drinks, the drunks agreed to "explore" Death Valley to see who had the most guts.

Under the influence of alcohol, none of the three men backed down and drove straight to Death Valley.

At that moment, the drunks found a closed area with a no-entry sign, which immediately aroused the interest of the drunks, claiming to be the boldest ones, and scrambled to enter it for exploration.

So the drunks took out the giant vise in the trunk and quickly pried open the tightly closed door.

The three men cheered and ran toward the Devil's Hole.

Since the hole was deep and there was no light inside, the three men took out the flashlights they had prepared and went forward.

Near the end, the drunks saw the clear underground water source and thought nothing of taking off their clothes and jumping in.

Because the temperature outside was too hot and drunk, their bodies were sweaty, and the cold underground water was suitable for bathing.

Drunk people happily use underground water to wash their sweat.

Unfortunately, in the process of alternating between hot and cold, the stomach got cold and a drunken man vomited directly into the water.

The water was contaminated, and the drunks naturally lost interest, rushed to climb on shore, put on clothes, and cursed up.

Before leaving, they didn't forget to defecate in it, and then everything was comfortable and they left.

All that was left in the water were the magical salamanders, who didn't know what was happening and gathered together in fear.

Later the head of Death Valley Park in the United States saw the incident through surveillance and issued a reward to the community.

Shortly after, three drunken men were arrested and each fined $10,000 and imprisoned for a year.

The people in charge of Death Valley also carried out an emergency treatment of the underground water source where the magic salamander fish lived. Fortunately, the treatment was timely and did not result in the mass killing of the magic salamander fish. Otherwise, the fish would probably have been "cooked".

Many anglers do not understand how human vomit can harm magical salamanders. Usually, they use spoiled food for their nests, which the fish love to eat.

But the devilfish is no ordinary fish. It is the only fish that has been isolated from the world for 50,000 years and has habits that are very different from those of today's fish.

One cannot apply today's perceptions to ancient creatures.

The devilfish relies on nutrients in the water for its food. During the long evolutionary process, the internal digestive system has probably degenerated and become unsuitable for eating ordinary food.

It is also for this reason that the magic fish in the water of the Devil's Cave is so petite. After all, the nutrients inside are limited and it is difficult to maintain a large size.

Previously, archaeologists found in the fossil that the magic fish living 60,000 years ago had sufficient food and was the size of an adult's hand.

This discovery is undoubtedly telling people that the magic fish is no longer the original magic fish, let it live in the long-accustomed waters is the best choice.

In this regard, some scientists have expressed their concerns.

The plight of the magic fish

Even though Death Valley officials have curbed folk behaviors that could harm the magic fish, its numbers are still declining.

Experts believe that this is a sign of the genetic degradation of the magic salamander fish, making it difficult for them to reproduce.

In such a small environment, the magic salamander fish can easily inbreed. We all know that inbreeding can be very harmful to a species.

This is because the fundamental reason that allows a species to reproduce for so long is the combination of different genes.

The arrangement of different genes makes the evolution of the species more and more possible.

But inbreeding causes offspring genes to cycle through the genes of the previous generation, stifling the possibilities. In the long run, genes degrade.

In response, U.S. ecologists are at their wits' end. After all, there is so little research information on the magic salamander fish in human hands. Even if the experts wanted to help breed the fish in captivity, they couldn't do anything about it.

Many people do not understand why scientists would go to great lengths to protect a fish the size of a fingernail.

The importance of the species

To highlight the importance of the devilfish, experts say that although the devilfish is small, its place in the ecology is as important as that of the polar bear.

In nature, each creature has its meaning in existence. In terms of the food chain, the producers exist to provide food, oxygen, and a more comfortable environment for the consumers.

The bottom consumers provide meat to the top consumers, and the top consumers control the number of bottom consumers to prevent flooding.

All consumers can provide nutrients to producers, a process that is carried out by decomposers.

This makes the species in nature closely linked, one with the other, and no one can be separated from the other.

The area where the magic fish live has probably established an ecosystem centered on the magic fish. If the magic fish disappears, the ecosphere in the magic cave will also fall into chaos.

On the surface, there seems to be no real impact on humans, but is that the case?

Every species has the right to live in nature. Humans, as a superior species, have no idea how much damage they have done to living things. Now that technology is so advanced, why can't we give some benefits back to the creatures?

Moreover, the magic fish may also cause a "butterfly effect" in the ecosystem.

You know, if a butterfly in the Amazon forest randomly flaps its wings, it may produce a weak airflow difference, in 100,000 kilometers away from the United States may trigger a tornado. This shows how closely nature on Earth is connected to human society, one step wrong. Humans have made many mistakes with living things, and we can no longer allow species to go extinct under our noses.

In response, American scientists have been working on ways to keep the magical salamander alive. It is believed that in the future, the number of magical salamanders can effectively increase and enter the biosphere and live in harmony with animals.