Off the big screen, Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is an ardent environmentalist who has dedicated his time and resources to saving the planet. Now, in his latest Instagram post, the actor shared a report about a new fish species found in Kerala.
The 'Titanic' star quoted a report about the Pathala Eel Loach, which appeared on the portal of Re:wild, an organisation which works to protect and restore biodiversity. DiCaprio's endorsement brought widespread attention to this fascinating new addition to the world of aquatic life.
"The wild is all around us and sometimes all it takes to discover a new species is going about a normal day. This was the case for Mr. Abraham, a local stage director living in Kerala State, India, who discovered a new species of fish while taking a shower," the Oscar-winning actor wrote on Instagram.
Take a look below:
According to the report, the discovery of the new fish species was made by Abraham A, a resident of the Alappuzha district in Kerala, who spotted the tiny marine animal with a length of about three centimetres in the well of his house back in October 2020.
In the following days, researchers from the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) confirmed that the fish belongs to a freshwater species. They named it Pathala Eel Loach (Pangio Pathala) after the Sanskrit word 'Pathala' meaning 'below the feet', as the species is classified as a subterranean fish.
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"Hidden from light and isolated beneath the soil's surface in the narrow aquifers of the southern Indian state of Kerala, live sightless subterranean freshwater fish like the new Pathala Eel Loach. Despite this fortuitous discovery, accessing these fishes and unlocking their secrets is no easy task," DiCaprio wrote.
The actor also included a link in his Instagram bio, enabling people to explore further details on how citizen science in Kerala State plays a pivotal role in facilitating researchers' study of these enigmatic underground ecosystems.
Since being shared, DiCaprio's post accumulated more than 121,000 likes.
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