Devils Hole pupfish

How it was counted

Scuba divers and surface counters counted the fish they saw in a survey on 10 October 2026. The figure covers the whole wild species and is published without a range, so it reads as a count, not an estimate.

A head count, not an estimate: every fish seen by scuba divers and surface counters across the whole wild species.

Earlier figures

• 69 in 2025: the previous count. Source: U.S. National Park Service, Death Valley National Park, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

What moves it

The U.S. National Park Service names earthquakes as a pressure: they send waves through the cavern and dislodge algae and other food from the shallow shelf where the fish feed and spawn.

• earthquakes that send waves through the cavern and dislodge algae and other food from the shallow shelf where the fish feed and spawn. particularly earthquakes that can generate waves inside Devils Hole Source: U.S. National Park Service, Death Valley National Park, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Who is helping

The managing agencies (the U.S. National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nevada Department of Wildlife) carry out the conservation and recovery actions of the Strategic Plan for Devils Hole, including ecosystem monitoring and research.

The next count

The count is made twice a year (spring and autumn); no date for the next count is known.

Sources

• U.S. National Park Service, Death Valley National Park, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Last checked 12 November 2026.
• Desert Fishes CouncilWhat’s up with the Devils Hole Pupfish: spring and autumn counts highest in over 20 years Last checked 12 November 2026.

What changed

• 12 November 2026 Added to Live Species, on the wall (1,000 or fewer): 137 (Head count, October 2026).

Every change on the site