Endangered Cavefish

Cavefish are a variety of fish that have adapted to living in the dark environment of a cave. As a result of living in perpetual darkness, many cavefish have lost their eyes and body pigment. While more than 80 species of cavefish are known to exist around the world, several North American species are endangered.

  1. Ozark Cavefish

    • The Ozark cavefish is listed as endangered by the Missouri Department of Conservation and threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Native to the caves in the Ozark Highlands in Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, Ozark cavefish are blind and have pinkish-white bodies. Water pollution, habitat destruction and over-collection are the main threats to Ozark cavefish populations.

    Alabama Cavefish

    • With a total population of fewer than 100 individual fish, the Alabama cavefish is one of the rarest freshwater fish in the world. The Alabama cavefish is a small, white fish characterized by an elongated head, a lack of fins and no eyes. This species is threatened by pollutants from crop lands and competition with other cavefish species.

    Northern Cavefish

    • The blind, pinkish northern cavefish is endangered in the state of Indiana. Limited to a small subset of caves between southern Indiana and Kentucky, this species' habitat is endangered by silting and flooding caused by construction and deforestation.