Fish Thought to Be Extinct Found Alive 85 Years Later

A fish that we had long believed to have gone extinct has been rediscovered 85 years later. The Chel snakehead, also known as the Chana amphibious, had not been seen since 1933, and even potentially longer, as the timeframe for its last sighting falls somewhere between 1918 and the early 1930s. At that time, the fish was seen in the Himalayan region.

Researchers were stunned, then, when they came across multiple specimens collected in 2024, which recently were confirmed to be that off the Chel snakehead, according to the report. It was located in West Bengal, an area that scientists came to discover after learning of local tribesmen consuming the once-thought-to-be-extinct fish.

The freshwater fish has a green hue with distinct yellow stripes and is among the most elusive aquatic species. That’s probably an understatement considering it had remained hidden for nearly 100 years.

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A post shared by Forrest Galante (@forrest.galante)

Chana amphibious Rediscovered After 85 Years

Biologist Forrest Galante, who is also a host on the Discovery Channel, was on the team that made the breakthrough discovery. His Instagram post shows just how pumped he was to be among the few who spotted the creature, beginning his post with “LFG!!”

He then shared a description of the fish, describing its “mythical” nature before finally being found. The Chel snakehead also has the “highest number of lateral-line scales among all snakeheads.”

It’s always fun to see the excitement that comes from those who can uncover a mystery, and in this case, one that not many were even pursuing anymore. This begs the question as to how many more species that are considered no more could potentially still be out there?

Whenever findings like this pop up, you have to imagine more and more efforts are enacted to track down similar cases. Discoveries like this certainly reinforce the need to pursue conservation efforts. As wildlife researcher Texas Thackeray said in the report, this “highlights the persistence of biodiversity.”