Chel snakehead, fish species believed to be extinct, spotted in India after 85 years

This find is making fish-tory.A rare fish species thought to have gone extinct in the early 20th century was recorded three times in 2024 by researchers in India, according to a newly published journal.The Chel snakehead, also known as the Channa amphibeus, hadn’t had a recorded sighting since the last of the specimens was collected between 1918 and 1933 in the Himalayan region of India.

Scientists eventually gave up and determined that the species had gone extinct, according to a paper published recently in the journal Zootaxa.In 2024, their conclusion was proven wrong.Three specimens collected with supporting photographic evidence have finally confirmed the fish’s long-awaited return after almost a century.The new sightings were located on the banks of the Chel River in the town of Kalimpong in West Bengal following a tip that the fish were a food source for a local tribe, the paper said.Many explorers and scientists trekked through India in search of the Chel snakehead for several decades, wildlife biologist Forrest Galante wrote on Instagram.

Following recent months of grueling pursuit, they were finally able to prove its existence.The recorded Chel snakehead fish were located in its namesake Chel River system, which it is endemic to, according to the paper.The freshwater species is known for its bright green scales and yellow stripes — a distinctly recognizable pattern that should be hard to miss even on a species known for its elusiveness.

Even though it was previously believed to be extinct, the Chel snakehead is known to be the largest of any snakehead breed, according to the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation, the Mumbai-based wildlife conservation that contributed to the rediscovery.“The resolution 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,” said Tejas Thackeray, founder of the Thackeray Wildlife Fo...