Something strange has been hiding in complete darkness beneath one of America’s most fascinating military installations—and scientists say they had no idea it was there.
Researchers have identified an entirely new genus and species of cavefish living in the groundwater beneath Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, according to the Daily Mail. The tiny creature has no eyes, lacks pigmentation and measures less than two inches long.
Its name is just as unusual: Demogorgonichthys arcanus, or the “demon cavefish.”
The discovery was made in Bobcat Cave, an underground system located within Redstone Arsenal that scientists have monitored for decades. The finding has proven particularly remarkable because researchers weren’t exploring some untouched corner of the earth. This was a place they thought they knew.
“This is one of the last places we’d have bet on it,” Matthew Niemiller, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, said in a university news release quoted by the Daily Mail.
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“Finding an entirely unknown, new genus of freshwater fish in eastern North America today is a little like finding a new kind of big cat,” Niemiller said.
The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The location makes the discovery even more intriguing.
Redstone Arsenal has played an enormous role in America’s military and space history. Established during World War II, the installation became a center for missile and rocket development. A government fact sheet cited by the Daily Mail describes Redstone as the “birthplace of NASA.”
That history has also fueled decades of UFO speculation surrounding Redstone. Unproven allegations recently circulated online claiming that supposed non-human craft from Nevada’s Area 51 were being relocated to Alabama. There is no established evidence supporting those claims.
For all of mankind’s advances in science, exploration and technology, creation continues to surprise us.
Beneath a military installation synonymous with rockets, space exploration and mystery, an eyeless creature bearing the name of an ancient underworld figure remained hidden in darkness for generations.
And scientists are only now discovering it was there.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
