Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, Nevada: Last Refuge of the Devil's Hole Pupfish
Out in the middle of a hellish desert, surrounded by a high fence, where the Pupfish fight to stay alive.
Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge
- Address:
- Devil's Hole Rd, Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge, NV
- Directions:
- In the Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge. Take Ash Meadows Rd/Bob Rudd Memorial Hwy either 17 miles west of Pahrump, Nevada, or 1.5 miles east of the California/Nevada state line. Watch for the sign for Devils Hole. Drive north into the desert on a dirt road for around five miles, then bear right onto Point of Rocks/Devils Hole Rd for 1.5 miles. Bring water, a hat, and sunscreen.
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Visitor Tips and News About Last Refuge of the Devil's Hole Pupfish
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The most recent count of Pupfish was 263 after an earthquake in Mexico caused four-foot-high waves within the Devil's Hole [part of a submerged cave system], where the Pupfish live. This apparently encouraged spawning, and their numbers are the highest that they've been in 20 years. Yay for the Pupfish!
[Amy Hallmark, 06/30/2023]
Death Valley has a special spot, surrounded by a fence, in feeble defense of a creature on the verge of extinction. It's the last natural environment where you'll find the Devil's Hole Pupfish -- an iridescent blue fish, only an inch long. The last pupfish live in 92 to 93 degree F water on a rock shelf in a 400 ft. submerged cave. The 6x12 ft. rock shelf is visible from the surface, surrounded by a fence with warnings and an explanatory sign.
Unfortunately, even this last refuge is losing pupfish at an alarming rate, for unknown reasons. The official 2006 count (scientists conduct a twice-yearly audit) was down to about 38 adults.
A couple of Devil's Hole pupfish were relocated to the Mandalay Bay casino's Shark Reef Aquarium in the hopes of establishing a population in an aquarium (and more convenient to tourists if the doomed pupfish bounce back).
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The population was as low as 38 in 2006.