Burnt-tailed barb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Burnt-tailed barb |
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The burnt-tailed barb (Balantiocheilos ambusticauda) is a special kind of freshwater fish. It's also known as the Siamese bala-shark. This fish belongs to the Cyprinidae family, which includes carps and minnows. Sadly, it might be extinct, meaning there are no more left in the wild. It used to live only in the Mae Klong and Chao Phraya River areas in Thailand.
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Discovering the Burnt-Tailed Barb
For a long time, people thought the burnt-tailed barb was the same fish as the bala shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus). But in 2007, scientists realized it was a different species. This discovery was made by Ng Heok Hee and Maurice Kottelat.
How it Was Discovered
The first official specimen of the burnt-tailed barb was found by a German fish scientist named Rolf Geisler. He collected it in February 1967 at a place called Bung Boraphet in Thailand. Other older specimens, collected as far back as 1862, were later identified as burnt-tailed barbs too.
What Does the Burnt-Tailed Barb Look Like?
The burnt-tailed barb looks a lot like its close relative, the bala shark. However, there are a few key differences:
- It has a shorter snout (the front part of its head).
- The grooves near its mouth are curved backwards. In the bala shark, these grooves are straight.
- The black edges on its pelvic and anal fins are narrower. They cover only the last third of the fin or less. For the bala shark, the black edges cover half or more of the fin.
Where Did the Burnt-Tailed Barb Live?
This fish was only found in Thailand. It lived in the Mae Klong and Chao Phraya River basins. Some people thought it might also live in the Mekong Basin in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. However, there's no clear proof of this, so scientists don't count those areas as part of its home.
Confusion with the Bala Shark
The true bala shark (B. melanopterus) actually lives further south. Its native home is in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra. Many bala sharks are sold for aquariums, but these are all raised in captivity, not caught from the wild in Thailand.
The Last Sighting
A Thai fish explorer named Kittipong Jaruthanin wrote that he found the very last burnt-tailed barb in the wild. This happened in 1986. He saw it in a ditch that drained from the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.
Why is it Disappearing?
Scientists haven't seen the burnt-tailed barb in over 30 years. This means it is very likely extinct. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists it as critically endangered. This is done in case a small group of these fish is still alive somewhere.
Possible Reasons for Decline
- Habitat Destruction: The areas where it lived have changed a lot. There's been a lot of pollution, drainage of water, and building of dams.
- Water Quality: Scientists think this fish was very sensitive to how clean the water was.
- Aquarium Trade: Some people thought catching them for aquariums might have caused their numbers to drop. However, there's no strong evidence to prove this.
