Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish (Cyprinodon nevadensis mionectes)
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Day 2 of the ‪#‎challengeonnaturephotography‬. Desert Pupfish are small, rare species of fish that live in some of the harshest conditions on earth. They can tolerate waters that are inhospitable to many other organisms due to high salinity, temperature, and pH. Many species of pupfish are threatened or endangered as a result of of desert development (particularly ground water extraction) and the impacts of invasive species. I photographed this Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge just east of Death Valley (where you can also find the Devil's Hole Pupfish, Salt Creek Pupfish, Cottonball Marsh Pupfish, and Saratoga Springs Pupfish).