Scientists identify new Eel species after watching old TikTok video | GRAVITAS

What began as a short TikTok video has led scientists to the discovery of a fish species never identified before — hidden beneath the soil of India.

Researchers have discovered a new species of underground earthworm eel in Bihar after spotting the tiny creature in a 2024 TikTok video filmed at a borewell near the India-Nepal border.

According to research published in the journal ZooKeys, an international team of researchers from India and China identified the mysterious fish as a completely new species — and an entirely new genus within the earthworm eel family.

The eel is barely four centimetres long, almost colourless and adapted to life in underground water sources. Its eyes are covered by skin, its body is translucent, and researchers say it appears to have no ribs.

Its scientific name roughly translates to “fish of the Ganga” — a fitting name for the first subterranean fish recorded from the Gangetic Basin.

To locate the elusive creature, researchers pumped thousands of litres of water from local handpumps during fieldwork in Bihar.

Genetic testing and CT scans later confirmed that the animal was not simply a new species, but represented an entirely new genus.

The discovery is another striking reminder that India’s biodiversity may still hold remarkable secrets — even beneath our feet.