Tasmanian devils, dogs and shellfish are some of the only animals that are known to carry naturally occurring cancers that can pass between individuals. But scientists in Vermont have discovered a new animal species that can do the same, catfish.

The finding represents the first known transmissible cancer in fish and the first identified in a freshwater setting.

Trente pour cent des poissons-chats du lac Memphrémagog, dans le Vermont, sont contaminés par ce mélanome, à l’origine inconnue.