TikTok Video Leads to Discovery of New Translucent Eel Species in India
A new species of subterranean eel, named Gangaichthys indonepalicus, has been discovered in northern India, thanks to a TikTok video. In 2024, a team of scientists observed a short video on the social media platform showing an unusual small fish emerging from a narrow hole drilled into the ground near the India-Nepal border. This prompted researchers from India and China to investigate, as no known stygobitic fish (fish living in caves, sinkholes, or aquifers) were previously recorded in the region. Procuring specimens proved challenging, requiring scientists to manually pump thousands of gallons of water from borewells. The first specimen died during collection, but a second was successfully retrieved from the same borewell after further pumping. The eel is only 1.5 inches long, adapted to total darkness with small, skin-covered eyes, a colorless and translucent body, and no apparent ribs. Advanced micro-CT scanning and genetic analysis confirmed it as a distinct genus within the earthworm eel family Chau... 
