Extinct salmon not extinct after all

National Geographic News announced the discovery of a once extinct, but no longer extinct, salmon. Discovered in a Japanese lake near Mount Fuji, the kunimasu salmon has been M.I.A. for 70 years. This kind of salmon, also known as the black kokonee, is a subspecies of the sockeye salmon. Found only in Japan, this fish was believed to have become extinct in the 1940’s after the waters in the fish’s only home experienced a raise in acidity levels, said to be from a hydroelectric dam.

The fish was more or less forgotten until a head of a local fishing association in the town sent an odd sample to a popular TV host, known for his scientific approach to hosting and obsession with fish. The sample was sent to labs where samples of the original kunimasu are housed, and after a month of looking closely at the two, it’s official: the kunimasu is still alive.

Makes you wonder how many other believed-to-be-gone creatures out there aren’t gone at all, doesn’t it? Now I’m going to go hunting for that island where Elvis and Tupac are hiding out.

Read more about the salmon at National Geographic News.