The Big Bend gambusia lives on the edge. Their only habitat in the world is a cluster of warm, spring-fed pools in Big Bend National Park. The entire wild population could fit within a quarter-mile circle, one of the smallest ranges of any vertebrate. How has this endangered species clung to such a precarious existence?
Big Bend Gambusia
![gambusia-small-2](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ea3f809/2147483647/strip/true/crop/220x180+0+0/resize/880x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F05%2Fgambusia-small1.jpg)