According to the study conducted by Indian and British biologists, the population of ‘Humpback Mahseer’, a freshwater fish, which is found only in Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu, has been reducing drastically. The major reasons behind the population reduction of the orange-finned fish are pollution, sand extraction and hydel power projects.
The fish is now endangered and it is expected that it may go extinct with in a generation. Four of the species of Mahseer are already listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
The researchers have found that the introduction of blue-finned Mahseer from Maharashtra during the 1980s reduced drastically the numbers of endemic Mahseer remaining in the River Cauvery and its tributaries. The blue-finned Mahseer is now the most abundant fish in the river, even though they are not native to this water.
The orange-finned mahseer, that can weigh up to 50kg, is found only in the Cauvery river.
Tidbits
- One Puffer Fish contains enough poison to kill 30 people.
- Thousands of marine creatures die everyday by mistakenly swallowing plastic bags that resemble jellyfish.
- Starfish don’t have brains. Some species of starfish have the ability to regenerate lost arms and can regrow an entire new limb given time.
GK Questions
- The Study of Fish is known as? Ichthyology
- The study ofamphibians and Reptiles is known as? Herpetology
