There might be as few as one hundred Alabama cavefish other side full of vibrancy today. This makes the species the rarest fish known to science, as well as one of the most endangered.
The Alabama cavefish is teetering on the edge of extinction. One of the crux explanations is since it is only found in Key Cave, which lies on the shore of manmade Pickwick Lake on the northern bank of the Tennessee River. It may have occurred in other caves in the past, but repeated searches have failed to find any of these fish. In addition, some of the other caves were flooded when Pickwick Lake was created.
Swamp Living to Cave Living
The Alabama cavefish fits in with a clan of actually six species. One, the swampfish, lives in swamps and other slow-flowing bodies of water. The springfish lives in springs. Both these species are only part-time cave dwellers, and have fully formed eyes.
To protect the Alabama cavefish, the Tennessee Valley Authority has fenced off the two Key Cave entrances and is constantly monitoring the quality of the water. It is also important to maintain the health of the cave’s bat population, since their droppings provide the basis for the cave’s food chain.
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