BONY FISHES | Life in Hot Water: The Desert Pupfish

Dr. Carl L. Hubbs pioneered the study of desert fishes in the early twentieth century and coined the term ‘pupfish’ because their lively activity reminded him of puppies at play. Because of the small number of fish in many of the populations and the thermal environment they live in, desert pupfish species have been studied extensively as models for physiological adaptation and evolutionary change. They are also the object of conservation efforts because of water demands by human populations, and are vulnerable to extended drought and increased temperatures predicted by models for global climate change.