comedy = tragedy + time

Good News: Devils Hole Pupfish are Rebounding After a Dramatic Decline.

In response to earthquakes which caused limited food and a sharp population decline in 2025, the multiagency team, made up of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Nevada Department of Wildlife biologists, acted quickly and released a number of captive reared Devils Hole pupfish back to the wild. This action was instrumental in ensuring the wild population’s survival and was the first time that captive Devils Hole pupfish have been returned to the wild. Currently, the wild population is around 70, nearly double the numbers seen in 2025. Did you know: The Devils Hole pupfish is believed to have the smallest geographic distribution of any known vertebrate species? It exists in a single submerged cave system, Devils Hole, within Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada. The depth of Devils Hole is unknown. Professional scuba divers from the National Park Service have mapped Devils Hole’s depth to nearly 500 feet, but the bottom has never been found.