Alligator Gar Caught in Kiwanis Lake
Popular Tempe Lake Home to Fishgator
Fox 11 from Arizona reports that such an alligator gar swallowed the bait of young Jose Chavez, fishing for catfish alongside his father. What makes this find newsworthy - and dangerous - is the fact that gar fish are considered a highly aggressive predatory fish species which Arizona residents are forbidden from owning, even in their home aquariums.
The fishgator caught by young Mr. Chavez was about the length of a child's arm and looked rather skinny. You may see footage of this alligator gar on the CNN website where the catch is proudly presented to onlookers.
However, to truly understand the alarm of the Arizona Fish and Wildlife Department at the sudden appearance of this garfish, take a look at the alligator gar Tom Wingstad pulled out of Texas' Trinity River in May! The Salt Lake Tribune showcases the jaw dropping gar that measures 7'4", weighed in at 200 pounds, and was thought to be about 50 years old!
The gator gar is an odd fish. Although it appears to be rather unsophisticated, it is a killer that is uniquely adapted to survival. Unlike most fish, the gator fish has lungs that can breathe normal air for up to two hours, enabling it to be dangerous even when pulled out of the water. Native to the fresh waters of southern bayous, rivers and lakes, it is reputed - by one John Clifford -- to even attack alligators and swim away victoriously.
The moral of the story is two-fold: while X-Files aficionados are watching the skies, those with their tootsies in the water will do well to keep a keen eye on that which is below.
Secondly, if you have a pet you can no longer keep (it is suggested that this gator fish was an unwanted pet), don't just dump it in the nearest lake and wash your hands of it! You are not only being cruel to the animal that thus far did not have to fend for itself, but you are endangering children, adults, and animals that suddenly have to content with a predator they are unprepared to face. Do the right thing and surrender the animal to an animal shelter or aquarium.
Source:
http://www.fox11az.com/news/topstories/stories/phoenix_news-jc_072908_alligator-gar.158cbef0.html
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/07/31/dnt.fishgator.ktvk
http://origin.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/render_gallery.jsp?articleId=9767889&siteId=297&startImage=1
http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/hugegar.html
Published by Sylvia Cochran - Featured Contributor in Travel
Sylvia Cochran works out of sunny Southern California and has been freelance writing -- full-time -- since 2005. SEO-optimized Internet copy includes news analysis, political Op/Ed and parenting as well as a... View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentGreat work!
I forgot to say what an excellent article this is.
When living in Carlsbad, NM, we use to fish the Pecos River and catch these gar all the time....Cylinder shaped and long tooth bearing snouts, they were scarey looking to say the least. The thing they use to do in taking our bait, was flip and twirl until they were hung up in our lines and we would have to cut our lines. But, in retaliation, we would cut up the gar and use it for bait. Excellent catfish bait.
My wife caught a 4 foot long gar while we were fishing from our kayaks on Lake Champlain in Vermont. That was quite an experience, let me tell you. Theses things look prehistoric!
Oh, gosh, I was so excited about that I forgot to note how engaging I found this article.
Congrats on being among the most popular in AC content, too :)
Congrats! You landed in google trends!
I sure don't want a fish pedicure from one of these gator gars! Scary stuff! I still have nightmares from that movie about pirhannas.