we have a fan request this #lefishefriday and boy are they a doozy! meet the alligator gar, the largest species of gar- a group that dates back around 100 million years! they’re called “primitive” because they retain some old traits like a spiral valve intestine!

literally had to nap before doing this lad there’s so... so much. for one thing, they can still breathe water AND air, another primitive trait! they grow up to ten feet long, and with that torpedo-like body, who could contest them? they’re primarily piscivores, but will eat some-

-waterfowl or mammals they find on the surface! their dwelling in southern north america is less than their original range, which has been reduced by, you guessed it, habitat destruction and unregulated harvest! they can adapt to quite a range of water salinities, luckily, pog!

up until the 1980s, the alligator gar was considered a nuisance to sport fisheries and as such treated like shit. more awareness of their importance was raised since then, and they now have protections! despite being ambush predators, they’re apparently quite passive. never judge

im running out of time it’s almost saturday uhhh FLASH ROUND
-spawning involves males writhing and slithering on top of females which triggers egg production
-their ganoid scales have been used as arrowheads, breastplates, and plow shielding
-theyre a popular food dish down south

-their adaptability makes them great aquaculture developers
-theyre very popular among aquarists, and are highly sought after in japan, fetching up to 40,000 bucks
-three men were arrested in 2011 for trying to remove alligator gar from their habitat to ship them to japan-

-, two of them were found guilty of one of three charges and the other two of three. just goes to show that you don’t FUCK with the alligator gar!

there’s way more to these dudes and i feel like that says something about how undermined fish importance is. like... come on. this thing is sick. it breathes water AND air, lives in different salinities, AND grows to ten feet long?

phew. just in time