Record numbers of pupfish recorded in April. — Olin Feuerbacher/NPS/NPRMarine authorities tracking the status of endangered species announce good news about the Devil’s Hole pupfish which bounced back from the threat of extinction as its population hit a 25-year high, reported Newsweek Friday. According to the National Park Service (NPS), 191 individuals have been reported in their homes.The critically endangered species’ population was at an all-time low in 2013 standing at only 35 individuals butt he recent number is the spring’s highest count since the end of the 20th Century. Brandon Senger, a supervising fisheries biologist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, said in an NPS statement: “It was really encouraging to see such a large number of young fish during these spring dives. Conditions within Devils Hole looked healthy, so we have hopes of high recruitment over the coming months that will lead to a large population in the fall.”The fish is scientifically called Cyprinodon diabolis and is found a 92-degree water-filled cavern in the Mojave Desert, in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada.Their habitat is the smallest in the world and feed on algae, detritus, and microorganisms. Their population in the summer is estimated at 300-500 while in the spring it stands between only 100 to 200, depending on their food. “We’re excited about the future directions with respect managing this species,” Michael Schwemm, senior fish biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, said in the statement. 



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