Alligator gars are "living fossils"
What am I looking at? This strange shaped fish is named after what it looks like, an alligator. It is in fact a fish. However, this fish can breathe both air and water! In addition, this type of fish is actually able to adapt to varying salinity levels, which allows them to live in environments such as salt-water bays, brackish marshes, and freshwater lakes and rivers. They call this ability “euryhaline”. In this case, I shot this photo in a fresh water river called Rainbow River, in Florida. This river is fed by a natural spring, so it is gin-clear and 72 degrees consistently. This is especially true the closer you get to the spring head. In addition to alligator gar, there are alligators that also hangout in the Rainbow River. Fortunately, I did not encounter an alligator on this particular dive!
So, what else makes alligator gars unique? These torpedo shaped fish are true “living fossils”. They can be traced back to the Early Cretaceous. That’s over 100 million years ago! They have special scales which are nearly impenetrable. These tough bone-like scales are called “ganoid scales”. These scales are so strong that native peoples used them for their arrow heads.
When the alligator gar feeds, it ambushes its prey. Aside from feeding, alligator gar are pretty mellow. But when they feed, it is on. Alligator gar primarily eat fish, but also eat turtles, birds, and small mammals. These fish can live to be 50 years old! If you are looking for an alligator gar, they can be found in the southern United States and Mexico.
This photo was taken in shallow water (less than 10 feet deep). The fun part about shooting photos while drift diving in a river is that things are changing all the time. The challenging part as a photographer is that you don’t have a chance to redo a shot. In this case, I got lucky and the alligator gar swam right up to me and did a quick fly-by. I enjoy this shot because you can see the tailfin rays silhouetted by the background light. Encountering one of these unique fish underwater is something you don’t forget.
Did you know? Alligator gar can grow to 10 feet long!
Did you know? An alligator gar’s upper jaw has two rows of teeth!
I got lucky and the alligator far swam right up to me
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