Image shows a Greenback Cutthroat trout found in Colorado, United States.
A species thought to have been extinct for more than a century has now come back to life in Colorado, United States. According to a report by News weekafter it was completely wiped out by mine pollution, overfishing, and competition from other species, the Colorado state fish, the Greenback Cutthroat Trout, was believed to have gone extinct in the 1930s.
The fish, which reproduce naturally, were discovered in the historic waters of the South Platte Drainage.
A thread was shared on Twitter Monday by Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Southeast Region’s official contact, along with several photos of the fish.
IMPORTANT NEWS: @GovofCO announces @COParksWildlife discovery of the cutthroat trout of the US dollar, naturally reproduce in the ancestral waters of their native South Platte Drainage. Greenbacks were long considered extinct. Big win for #wild animals#preservation.https://t.co/XMdCESCklSpic.twitter.com/Y5wiwrdenS
— CPW SE region (@CPW_SE) September 23, 2022
“@GovofCO announces that @COParksWildlife is reproducing the discovery of greenback cutthroat trout naturally in the ancestral waters of their native South Platte Drainage. Greenbacks have long been considered extinct. Huge gains for conservation,” the wildlife park wrote while posting the post shared.
The fish were found in Herman Gulch in the South Platte River drainage west of Denver. The long-term survival and natural reproduction of the dollars discovered in Herman Gulch is an important milestone for CPW’s recovery efforts, the wildlife park said.
Since the post was shared, it has received over 1,200 likes and over a hundred shares. Numerous users have made astonished comments in the comment section of the post.
The Colorado Parks told Newsweek that “this is huge” after more than a decade of “intense efforts” to save the species from the brink of extinction.
Several endangered populations were identified in 1957, 1965 and the 1970s, but these were later determined to be subspecies rather than purebred trout, the CPW said in a statement. press release.
After discovering the only pure population of the species in 2012, close to Bear Creek in central Colorado, researchers began traveling there every spring to collect sperm and eggs from the local fish population.
According to the release, a small population of the species was kept in a hatchery to promote breeding and the establishment of new populations. The species was then gradually introduced by biologists to a number of sites, including the Herman Gulch in 2016, News week further reported.
