A new species of fish that was found in Kerala has caught the attention of Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Apart from being an actor, DiCaprio is also an environmentalist and advocates the effects of climate change actively. On July 18, he took to Instagram to share a picture of the fish and it has gone viral online.
The fish was spotted by Abraham A, a native of Alappuzha district in Kerala in 2020. The species, pink in colour and merely three centimetres in length, was named Pathala Eel Loach (Pangio Pathala) by the researchers of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS).
Taking to Instagram, the Oscar-winning actor quoted a report about Pathala Eel Loach that appeared on the portal of Re:wild, which works to protect and restore biodiversity. "The wild is all around us and sometimes all it takes to discover a new species is going about a normal day. This was the case for Mr. Abraham, a local stage director living in Kerala State, India, who discovered a new species of fish while taking a shower," DiCaprio wrote.
“Hidden from light and isolated beneath the soil’s surface in the narrow aquifers of the southern Indian state of Kerala, live sightless subterranean freshwater fish like the new Pathala Eel Loach. Despite this fortuitous discovery, accessing these fishes and unlocking their secrets is no easy task,” he continued.
The fish’s name is based on the Sanskrit word “Pathala” which means below the feet. The fish was spotted by Abraham in the well of his house in October 2020.
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