Some animals catch cancer from others in their species. Here's why humans aren't one of them

UVM Researchers Identify First Transmissible Cancer In Freshwater Fish

BURLINGTON, Vt. — University of Vermont researchers have identified what they say is the first known transmissible cancer in a freshwater fish, discovering that a melanoma affecting brown bullhead catfish spreads from fish to fish through living cancer cells rather…

Researchers discover fourth transmissible cancer known to science

Catfish now join Tasmanian devils, dogs and shellfish as the only animals known to carry naturally occurring cancers that can pass between individuals

Anglers had been reporting black skin patches among catfish in Vermont lake. Now scientists have found it's a contagious cancer affecting 30% of their population

A groundbreaking study has unveiled a new transmissible cancer affecting catfish populations, characterized by skin lesions that can spread from one fish to another, which is an unusual occurrence in the animal kingdom. Researchers are now delving into the mechanisms of this disease's transmission, which has already affected numerous lakes throughout New England and Canada, placing catfish among a rare group of animals susceptible to transmissib…

Skin cancer spreads between catfish in a freshwater lake

Nature, Published online: 28 July 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02287-wThe discovery of a transmissible melanoma in a freshwater catfish raises questions about the disease’s origin, mode of transmission and broader impact on the species.

Some animals catch cancer from others in their species. Here's why humans aren't one of them

Scientists in Vermont have just discovered something that shouldn't really be possible: a skin cancer that's spreading from catfish to catfish. It's only the fourth transmissible cancer ever found in nature.