New Species Of Fish Discovered In Kerala Named 'Gollum' As Tribute To 'The Lord Of The Rings'
A new species of fish discovered by Indian and UK scientists in Kerala has been named after JRR Tolkiens famed creation from The Lord of The Rings LOTR Gollum. The fish is about 92cm in length and caught the attention of scientists after a fish enthusiast named Mohammed Ajeer posted its picture on Facebook.
A new species of fish, discovered by Indian and UK scientists in Kerala has been named after JRR Tolkien's famed creation from The Lord of The Rings (LOTR), Gollum.
The scientific name of the species is 'Aenigmachanna Gollum'.
The fish is about 9.2cm in length, and caught the attention of scientists after a fish enthusiast named Mohammed Ajeer posted its picture on Facebook.
The scientists said this is the first snakehead fish that has been described as living underground.
The Gollum snakehead (Aenigmachanna gollum) is a recently described species of subterranean fresh water fish from Kerala. If you come across anything similar, do record it on IBP. Photo by Anoop V. K. https://t.co/YnaQl6m5hP#fish #kerala #westernghats #biodiversity pic.twitter.com/7qdjJvcxgW
¡ª India Biodiversity Portal (@inbiodiversity) 14 May 2019
The body of the fish is unusually narrow for a snakehead and unlike other usually bright hues, this fish has a almost nude shade.
It has a very long anal fin which runs along its belly and tail so it can maintain buoyancy in the water column.
The snakehead fish are usually found in freshwater rivers or wetlands. Reports state that the fish might have landed up in Kerala after the massive floods in August 2018.
