While four freshwater fish endemic to Kerala have been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, Aenigmachanna gollum, the enigmatic dragon snakehead, may face serious conservation challenges.
Considered ‘living fossils’ and named after the character in Lord of the Rings, the fish species has become a hot favourite of traders following its discovery after the floods of 2018. Listed as vulnerable in the most recent assessment by IUCN red list, the species is currently found in less than ten locations in Kerala and their population is threatened by multiple anthropogenic stressors.
While the dragon snakehead is mostly seen in wetlands and nearby paddy fields, a single individual was collected from a homestead well by scientists.
