US Desert Lake Contains Buffalo Fish Over 100 Years Old

Researchers found that many individuals of three species of buffalo fish survived from 1918 to the present, most likely due to environmental isolation and evolutionary adaptation.

A buffalo fish that has lived for a century in Apache Lake. Photo: University of Minnesota Duluth — A buffalo fish that has lived for a century in Apache Lake. Photo: *University of Minnesota Duluth*

Fish can be found in oases, streams, or other bodies of water in the desert, often living in isolated, specialized conditions that allow them to adapt to harsh environments. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, focused on fish that live in Apache Lake in the southwestern Arizona desert, including largemouth buffalo, smallmouth buffalo, and black buffalo. These fish are members of the genus Ictiobus, according to Alec Lackmann, an ichthyologist and co-author of the study, Interesting Engineering reported on November 5.

To determine the age of the buffalo fish, the team extracted otoliths from the fish’s skulls. Otoliths are tiny, rock-like structures that grow continuously throughout the fish’s life, adding a new layer each year. Scientists can measure the age of the fish by analyzing the otoliths with a compound microscope and counting the layers like tree rings. The discovery suggests that some buffalo fish introduced to Arizona in 1918 are likely still alive today.

"Originally raised in breeding farms and stock ponds along the Mississippi River in the Midwest, the government stocked buffalo fish in Lake Roosevelt (upstream of Apache Lake), Arizona in 1918," the team said.

Lake Roosevelt became a commercial fishery over time, but the fish population in Lake Apache remained largely unaffected. Only recently did fishermen discover an effective way to catch buffalo fish in Lake Apache using pole and line. Some catch-and-release fishermen began to notice the unusual black and orange markings on their catch, prompting an effort to study the pattern. They contacted Lackmann to conduct scientific analysis of some of the fish, eventually finding out how long freshwater fish in the desert lake lived.

The long lifespan of the buffalo fish challenges our understanding of vertebrate aging, raising questions about the mechanisms behind it. Researchers are trying to determine whether the buffalo fish's remarkable longevity is the result of its unique environment and evolutionary adaptations.

An Khang (According to Interesting Engineering )

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