One of the 'World's Rarest' Fish, Thought to Be Extinct, Rediscovered After 85 Years

A rare fish species thought to be extinct for over 80 years was rediscovered in India.

The journal Zootaxa announced on Friday, Jan. 31, that a Chel snakehead, also known as Channa amphibious, was rediscovered after it was presumed to be extinct.

The freshwater species was not seen for over eight decades after the last recorded specimens were collected between 1918 and 1933 in the Himalayan region of India. But in 2024, three specimens were collected on the banks of the Chel River in the town of Kalimpong in West Bengal.

Researchers learned that the Chel snakehead was being consumed by a local tribe, according to ABC News.

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The search for the large fish continued throughout the past several decades, per ABC News. Once the researchers learned of their existence, it took months to locate the fish and confirm the species was not extinct.

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“Commonly known as the Chel Snakehead, this large and vibrant species is distinguished by chrome-yellow to orange stripes, a bright neon patch beneath the eye, and the highest number of lateral-line scales among all snakeheads of the Gachua group,” Thackeray Wildlife Foundation posted on Facebook.

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The foundation noted that the recent discovery of “this long-standing mystery in Indian ichthyology reinforces the importance of continued exploration" and "highlights the persistence of biodiversity, even in species once thought lost to time."

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