An Italian needlefish was discovered in the Volga River in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

      It has been transferred to the Zoological Museum of NNGU. The Italian needlefish was discovered in the Volga River in the Nizhny Novgorod region, as reported by the editor-in-chief of MIA "Stationary-Press," Alexey Nikonov, on his MAX channel "Bokal presseka." It was caught near the village of Barmino in the Lyskovsky district. "For scientists, this is a real shock: a marine inhabitant has officially ventured into freshwater so far upstream, overcoming the Kuibyshev Reservoir. The fish protection inspector handed the 'traveler' over to the Zoological Museum of NNGU," Nikonov said.

      Reference

      The needlefish is one of the strangest creatures in water bodies. They belong to the same family as the seahorse, which is why their snouts are similar. The male needlefish is responsible for the offspring. The female lays eggs in a special pouch on the belly of the 'dad,' and he carries the young until they are born. They are masters of camouflage: they change color to match the algae and freeze vertically—in this position, they are practically invisible to predators. The body of the needlefish is covered with hard bony plates. It feels not slippery, but hard and angular, like a branch.

      More news about the event:

      Shock for scientists: a needlefish was caught in the Volga near Lyskov for the first time

      A unique event for the Nizhny Novgorod fauna has been recorded in the Lyskovsky district: an Italian needlefish was caught in the Volga near the village of Barmino for the first time in the region's history. 18:48 11.05.2026 Otkryty Nizhny - Nizhny Novgorod

      The Italian needlefish was discovered in the Volga in the Nizhny Novgorod region

      It has been transferred to the Zoological Museum of NNGU. The Italian needlefish was discovered in the Volga River in the Nizhny Novgorod region, as reported by the editor-in-chief of MIA "Stationary-Press," Alexey Nikonov, on his MAX channel "Bokal presseka." 18:43 11.05.2026 Vremya N - Nizhny Novgorod

      Shock for scientists: a needlefish was caught for the first time in the Nizhny Novgorod region

      An Italian needlefish was caught in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which has been discovered in freshwater so far upstream for the first time. 16:07 11.05.2026 vGorodeN.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      The Italian needlefish was caught in the upper part of the Volga

      Photo: Max channel "Bokal presseka"

      An Italian needlefish was discovered in the Volga near the village of Barmino in the Lyskovsky district. 15:09 11.05.2026 NIA Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod

      The Italian needlefish was caught in the Volga in the Lyskovsky district

      An Italian needlefish was caught in the waters of the Volga in the Nizhny Novgorod region for the first time. 14:25 11.05.2026 Nizhny Novgorod Pravda - Nizhny Novgorod

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      In the Nizhny Novgorod region, a unique needlefish was caught for the first time

      Photo: Zoological Museum of NNGU | Nizhny Novgorod Pravda Ivan Vavilov

      An Italian marine needlefish was caught in the waters of the Volga River near the village of Barmino in the Lyskovsky district, reports pravda-nn.ru. 10:37 12.05.2026 Bashinform - Ufa