Scientists Discover The Fourth Transmissible Cancer Known To Science
Researchers have identified a transmissible melanoma in brown bullhead fish in Vermont, marking the fourth known instance of contagious cancer in nature. This is the first recorded case of transmissible cancer in fish and in a freshwater environment.
Why it matters
Understanding transmissible cancers provides critical insights into evolutionary biology and the mechanisms of disease spread in wildlife populations.
Science Scientists Discover The Fourth Transmissible Cancer Known To Science By John Drake ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. John Drake is a professor at the University of Georgia. Follow Author Jul 24, 2026, 08:05pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . A bullhead catfish with melanoma from Lake Memphremagog, Vermont. Vermont Fish & Wildlife In 2012 an angler pulled a brown bullhead out of Lake Memphremagog with what looked like tar smeared across its skin. He brought it to Peter Emerson, a fish biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, who had surveyed the lake since 2009. Emerson had never seen anything like it.
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