Leonardo DiCaprio Instagram – Rediscovered: A team of ichthyologists in Turkey have found the lost Leopard Barbel, a spotted fish, in the Turkish section of the Tigris River. This rediscovery spurs hope in the midst of global freshwater fish decline, where 25% of freshwater fish are at risk of extinction. This is the second species on @rewild and @shoal_org most wanted lost fishes list to be rediscovered. The first, the Batman River Loach, was found by the same intrepid team in Southeastern Turkey in late 2021. The Leopard Barbel was once abundant, ranging from Eastern Turkey, Eastern Syria, Iran and Iraq in the Tigris-Euphrates river system. Over the last three decades, however, fishing, pollution, habitat destruction and dam construction have pushed the species to the edge of extinction. “There is nothing quite like the feeling of finding that a species that has been pushed to the brink of extinction is still hanging on, despite the odds,” said Cüneyt Kaya, associate professor at Recep Tayyip Erdogan University and member of the expedition team. “It is even more thrilling than discovering a new species because it means that we can give a rare species a second chance.” Photo credit: Metin Yoksu