Exercises

Something fishy

Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post

A species of fish that lives in the desert is in danger of becoming extinct, but the threat to their existence remains a mystery. Read the story from the Bangkok Post about this unusual fish.

Scientists have recently been puzzled by the decline of the Devils Hole pupfish, a quick-darting blue minnow that lives in Devils Hole, Nevada, USA.

Devils Hole is a hot, spring-fed pool of unknown depth in the middle of one of the hottest places on earth. For tens of thousands of years, the pupfish have lived there in an isolated patch of Death Valley National Park, about 161 kilometres northwest of Las Vegas.

FISH OUT OF WATER

Loss of the pupfish living in Devils Hole would bring an end to the species.

The fish have been protected under the Endangered Species Act since a 1976 water rights case before the Supreme Court. The ruling reduced groundwater pumping intended to develop farms nearby in order to save the fish�s habitat.

MYSTERIOUS DECLINE

The pupfish once numbered some 500, but in recent years biologists have detected a dramatic drop in the population. At the last count, the population was down to only about 45 fish.

Finding the cause for the decline has lead to field work for a team of government biologists intent on solving the mystery.

KEEPING TRACK

Some biologists think that the decline may be a result of a genetic problem, global warming or the lowering of the water table in the hole.

Pupfish expert James Deacon, a retired biologist from the University of Nevada, said that the pupfish are vulnerable to the slightest changes in the water. This makes it difficult for scientists to breed the fish elsewhere.

In October 2008, a diver will explore Devils Hole, believed to be at least 152 metres deep, with hopes of counting every remaining pupfish in order to better keep track of the them.

Exercises

Read the story. Then, answer the following reading comprehension questions.

1. According to James Deacon, what are the pupfish vulnerable to?

2. Biologists think that people are catching the fish to eat. True or false.

3. Since when have the Devils Hole pupfish been a protected species?

	threat (n): the possibility of trouble, danger or disaster dart (v): to move suddenly and quickly in a particular direction minnow (n): a very small freshwater fish spring (n): a place where water comes naturally to the surface from under the ground habitat (n): the place where a particular type of animal or plant is normally found intent (adj): showing strong interest and attention water table (n): a level at and below which water is found in the ground vulnerable (adj): weak and easily hurt