For science enthusiasts around the world, here is a piece of big news. A new species of eel-loach has been discovered by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) in a fascinating fashion.
It all began when Vishnu Das, a graphic designer belonging to a village in Kozhikode, Kerala when while on finding something glistening in the bathroom water. Das realized it to be an eel-like species, he secured the same in a glass and posted a photograph in a local WhatsApp group in order to know the species.
Anoop VK, a doctoral student at Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), chanced upon the picture and embarked on the road towards the tiny village. Anoop and his colleagues caught over 15 eel-loaches along with their giant eggs, from the pond in the village.
“These are subterranean organisms and they are extremely sensitive to light. So finding them was always going to be tough. We went traipsing all over tanks and wells in the neighbourhood, barging into people’s homes to look for the eel. And then somebody said there was a pond nearby that never dries. So we got into it using a giant scoop-net and we got a fully mature specimen. Having got one, we definitely knew there would be others. We ended up with over 15 eel-loaches, complete with their giant eggs,” Anoop was quoted as saying in The Indian Express report.
The pinkish-red eel, 3 centimetres in length, belongs to the genus Pangio and has been named as Pangio bhujia as it resembles the north Indian snack of bhujia.
Further studies are set to be made to determine the species’ evolutionary trajectory and geographical patterns.
Philippines: More than 1500 alive turtles found wrapped in duct-tape at Manila airport
