Golden cave catfish

Clarias cavernicola (also known as the golden cave catfish) is a species of freshwater catfish. They are only known to live in one place: an underground lake in Aigamas Cave, which is near Otavi, in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia. The lake is  in area and about  deep.

The water level has been steadily dropping because it is extracted by humans. The lake is a major water supply in an otherwise very dry area. Because of this, the species is considered critically endangered. It is estimated that there are about 150 individuals living in the lake.

The fish live in the shallow areas of the lake in open, clear water. They feed on detritus (bat droppings and carcasses) and insects that fall into the lake. Not much is known about how the species reproduces. Attempts to breed the fish in captivity have failed.

The fish grow up to  long. Having evolved in the darkness of the cave, they have no pigment. The fish is white in colour. It has a long eel-like body, with long dorsal and anal fins. The head has a rounded snout with four pairs of thin barbels. The fish have very small eyes, which are covered with skin. They are blind, and find food using taste and other senses on the barbels.

 Related pages 
Cave catfish

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Category:Catfish