Tropical gar

Tropical gar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lepisosteiformes
Family: Lepisosteidae
Genus: Atractosteus
Species: A. tropicus
Binomial name
Atractosteus tropicus
T. N. Gill, 1863

The tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) is a fish found in freshwaters from southern Mexico to Costa Rica, reported to reach lengths of up to 1.25 m in the wild (albeit often much smaller in captivity). The heaviest individual known weighed 2.89 kg (6.4 lb). The tropical gar looks very similar to the longnose gar in color and markings, but can be distinguished by its shorter, broader snout. The tropical gar's diet consists mainly of cichlids and other fish.

References


Spitzer, Mark (2015). Return of the Gar. U of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574415995

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