The Kissing Loach, or Aymodoki in Japanese, is found in just three tiny and isolated places of Japan. The only reason the Kissing Loach hasn’t become extinct is due to substantial human involvement and conservation efforts.
The Giant Sea Bass was formerly a plentiful fish along the coasts of California and Baja, Mexico, but it has been nearly wiped off in recent decades. The Giant Sea Bass is thought to be making a return because of robust conservation efforts. However, its current wild population is believed to be around 500 adult individuals.
Tequila Splitfin is a tiny fish found only in Rio Teuchitlan, Mexico, in a small spring pool. Scientists assumed the Tequila Splitfin had become extinct since no specimens have been found since 1992. The only known remnant colony of Tequila Splitfins, however, was discovered in 2005.
Historically, the Adriatic Sturgeon was more common and prolific in the Adriatic Sea. However, overfishing has destroyed the natural population of Adriatic Sturgeon over the last several decades, and there may be as few as 250 wild fish surviving. The Adriatic Sturgeon is already extinct in many of its historical habitats, according to the IUCN Red List.
Despite the fact that this list and our study demonstrate otherwise, the Devils Hole Pupfish is usually regarded as the world’s rarest fish (it is not quite as rare as the Red Handfish). The Devils Hole Pupfish can only be found in the Devils Hole, a geological structure in Nevada’s Death Valley National Park. The Devils Hole Pupfish is thought to have been isolated in this location between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago.
The Red Handfish is a strange-looking fish that moves over the ocean floor using its hand-like fins. The Red Handfish, which was found in the 1800s, has always had a modest population size. Until early 2018, only around 20 – 40 Red Handfish were reported to be residing in Hobart’s Frederick Henry Bay, off the coast of eastern Tasmania
The Sakhalin Sturgeon is so uncommon that it is rarely observed or captured in the wild. According to the IUCN Red List, the Sakhalin Sturgeon has never been a plentiful fish, but it was more regularly seen for sale in Hokkaido, Japan, in the 1950s. Since then, the wild Sakhalin Sturgeon population has plummeted.
The Ornate Sleeper Ray was spotted and photographed for the first time in 1984, and it was quickly recognised as an undiscovered species of ray. Following that, a few additional Ornate Sleeper Ray sightings were recorded, and two specimens were eventually captured in 2003.