100-year-old? Some fishes in Arizona Desert are your grandpa’s age
Fish species with lifespans reaching a mind-boggling 100 years are found in the Arizona desert.
An unexpected secret has emerged amid the blistering heat of the Arizona desert, where survival appears to be a relentless fight against nature’s harsh conditions.
Surprisingly, some of the oldest species have been discovered living in this unlikely location – fish with lifespans reaching a mind-boggling 100 years.
Fish may be found in the desert region’s oases, springs, and other bodies of water, often in isolated and specialized settings that have allowed them to adapt to the rough desert environment.
This University of Minnesota study was focused on fish species located in the Apache Lake reservoir in the southwest of the Arizona desert, namely bigmouth buffalo, smallmouth buffalo, and black buffalo. These species are members of the genus Ictiobus.
“There is likely a treasure trove of aging, longevity, and negligible senescence information within the genus Ictiobus,” Alec Lackmann, an ichthyologist, and one of the study authors, said in an official release.
Lackmann further added: “This study brings light to this potential and opens the door to a future in which a more complete understanding of the process of vertebrate aging can be realized, including for humans. The research begs the question: what is the buffalofishes’ fountain of youth?”
How the fish age was determined?
To determine the age of these buffalofishes, the study team extracted otoliths, commonly known as earstones, from within the fish’s skull. Otoliths are tiny, stone-like structures that develop continually throughout the life of the fish, adding a new layer each year.
Scientists can measure the age of the fish by analyzing the otolith using a compound microscope and counting the layers much like the rings of a tree.
The findings revealed that some of the original buffalofishes introduced to Arizona in 1918 are most likely still alive today.
“Originally reared in hatcheries and rearing ponds along the Mississippi River in the Midwest, the government stocked buffalofishes into Roosevelt Lake (upstream of Apache Lake), Arizona in 1918,” mentioned the release.
Roosevelt Lake was commercially fished over the course of time, but the fish populations in Apache Lake remained relatively unaffected.
Anglers just recently found efficient ways for capturing buffalofish in Apache Lake using rod and line.
Unusual orange and black spots on the fish prompted this study
Some conservation fishermen who practice catch-and-release began to notice unusual orange and black spots on the fish they were capturing, which piqued their interest and prompted additional research into these patterns.
They approached Lackmann to conduct a scientific analysis of certain fishes, ultimately unraveling the remarkable longevity of these freshwater fish species that call the desert home.
The team highlights that “such longevity across multiple freshwater fish species is found nowhere else in the world.”
“These long-lived species of fishes and individuals could be monitored so that we can further study and understand their DNA, their physiology, their ability to fight infection and disease, and to compare these systems across the continuum of age,” said Lackmann. “The genus Ictiobus has the potential to prove of high value to the field of gerontology, and Apache Lake could become an epicenter for a variety of scientific research in the future.”
The species’ longevity challenges the established norms of vertebrate aging, raising questions about the mechanisms that underpin their extended lifespans. Could their remarkable longevity be attributed to their distinct environment and evolutionary adaptations?
This discovery has the potential to transform our understanding of aging across several fields, particularly the science of senescence (aging) in vertebrates.
The study results were reported in the journal Scientific Reports.
Study abstract:
During the 1910s three buffalofish species (Catostomidae: Ictiobus cyprinellus, I. bubalus, I. niger) were reared in ponds along the Mississippi River. Individuals of these buffalofishes were transported to locations across the United States to support or establish commercial fisheries, including Roosevelt Lake, Arizona in 1918. During the 1930s–1960s a commercial fishery existed on Roosevelt Lake, ending by 1970. Scarce information exists on Arizona buffalofishes since. From 2018 to 2023 we studied buffalofishes from nearby Apache Lake (adjacent and downstream of Roosevelt Lake) in collaboration with anglers. Here we show that > 90% of buffalofishes captured from Apache Lake are more than 80 years old and that some of the original buffalofishes from the Arizona stocking in 1918 are likely still alive. Using unique markings on old-age buffalofishes, we demonstrate how individuals are identified and inform dozens of recaptures. We now know all species of USA Ictiobus can live more than 100 years, making it the only genus of animal besides marine rockfishes (Sebastes) for which three or more species have been shown to live > 100 years. Our citizen-science collaboration has revealed remarkable longevity for freshwater fishes and has fundamentally redefined our understanding of the genus Ictiobus itself.
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