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How a cave-dwelling fish stores fat through feast and famine

The subterranean form of the Mexican tetra has evolved thrifty genes that allow it to make the most out of infrequent meals.
A Mexican blind cave fish (Astyanax fasciatus mexicanus) in the deep waters of Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The cave-dwelling form of the Mexican tetra cannot see, and uses its eye sockets as repositories for fat. Credit: Barry Mansell/Nature Picture Library

Some populations of the small fish called the Mexican tetra live in streams; other populations of the fish (Astyanax mexicanus) live in about 30 Mexican caves. On the rare occasions when bats or seasonal flooding bring food into their caves, the blind, pale cavefish can take advantage of the bounty by storing vast amounts of fat.

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Nature 604, 405 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00982-y

References

  1. Xiong, S. et al. Curr. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.038 (2022).

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