Unicorn-Looking Blind Fish Species Discovered In Dark Water Inside Chinese Cave
These newfound fish which have an uncanny resemblance to the mythical unicorn were discovered in a pitch-black pool of water no bigger than a kitchen table. The bizarre fish have no colour, no scales, tiny eyes that they cannot see with, and a strange horn coming from their forehead.
Researchers made the discovery while surveying cave fish from the genus Sinocyclocheilus. Fish within this genus are only found in China, and are usually found in complete darkness in small pools.
There are currently 76 known species of Sinocyclocheilus, with almost all of them showing very similar characteristics to the most recently discovered species. They are all blind or possess virtually no vision, no pigmentation, and no scales. However, only a few of them have protruding horns, while others have no eyes at all.
These new fish species were found in a small pool that measured 5.9 feet wide and 2.6 feet deep, inside a cave in the mountainous Guizhou province.
Researchers collected a number of the fish to take back and examine, however, at the time they were unaware they were collecting a never-before-seen species.
The team that made the discovery have named them S. longicornus. They described them as between 4.1 and 5.7 inches long and possess two pairs of whisker-like barbels that they use to navigate in the dark. Strangely, the long horn on their heads appears to have no particular use, and it isn't found in other closely related species.
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