Gar Quiz - the return - ID the fish

xander

Manjuari
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Sep 6, 2007
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spotted gar....cause that's the only bloody thing you seem to be able to take pics of in the last 2+ years....

definately not atractosteus...for a yoy gar it does not have the typical pattern that is often clue to a longnose/shortnose ID. snout seems too wide/short for longnose and too long for shortnose anyways. body is also seemingly too thick for a yoy lognnose gar. the fish also has a snout far too long to be a florida gar too.

ps, it's a beautiful specimen sol! send her my way!!
 

E_americanus

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xander;4285679; said:
spotted gar....cause that's the only bloody thing you seem to be able to take pics of in the last 2+ years....

definately not atractosteus...for a yoy gar it does not have the typical pattern that is often clue to a longnose/shortnose ID. snout seems too wide/short for longnose and too long for shortnose anyways. body is also seemingly too thick for a yoy lognnose gar. the fish also has a snout far too long to be a florida gar too.

ps, it's a beautiful specimen sol! send her my way!!
highlighted - hahaha hilarious. but pretty true. believe it or not i FINALLY got around to taking some pics of the original gar-den last night...will have to post some of those when i get a chance. things take even longer now that i started shooting in RAW format over the past year or two.

couple things:

- so far everyone has one correct idea...it's not a Cuban gar :)

- keep in mind that YOY patterns can be highly variable, based on both individual and population genetics, environment, etc. the fish may not fit the "typical" YOY pattern of a particular species.

- very very few are in the right direction with the ID so far

--solomon
 

jerzyperson

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Im no gar expert, far from it actualy, but to me the fish looks like a longnose because its pattern resembles nothing of a spotted gar. This fish shows more of a sleek silver color with speckles or spots on the fins alone, and a more fluid pattern down the top part of the body. A gator gar has a very thick, beefy snout, very wide and tend to be a darker,solid color. The snout is definatly thicker then most gar i have seen, but its not quite short as to the specifics of a shortnose gar, but it also doesn't have the long slender snout of the longnose gars.

So, my final answer is longnose gar.
 

Lepisosteus platyrhincus

Polypterus
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actually, my vote is shortnose
 

E_americanus

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Weylin;4286653; said:
Sol, is it a hybrid ?
ah good question...i won't give you a straight answer right now, but it's a good thought...

jerzyperson;4286693; said:
Im no gar expert, far from it actualy, but to me the fish looks like a longnose because its pattern resembles nothing of a spotted gar. This fish shows more of a sleek silver color with speckles or spots on the fins alone, and a more fluid pattern down the top part of the body. A gator gar has a very thick, beefy snout, very wide and tend to be a darker,solid color. The snout is definatly thicker then most gar i have seen, but its not quite short as to the specifics of a shortnose gar, but it also doesn't have the long slender snout of the longnose gars.

So, my final answer is longnose gar.
good lines of thought and comparisons to other species features! for a self-proclaimed "non-gar expert" you move through the process better than a lot of people who just make blind guesses!--

Lepisosteus platyrhincus;4286768; said:
actually, my vote is shortnose
care to explain like others have with their answers?



thanks for all the responses thus far guys; i'll post the "answer" later this evening or tomorrow morning.--
--solomon

PS-- have a few more pics to add for new quizzes too :)
 

xander

Manjuari
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looking forward to the answer! sol, what editing program are u using? i believe the crowd wants gar den II pics...:)
 

Lepisosteus platyrhincus

Polypterus
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Nov 9, 2008
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In the caiman den
i do!!!

im leaning twords shorty due to a few reason. pattern, or really lack of really points tword a young shorty. The head shape is actually a desitinct(IMO) shorty head. If u check shortnose, they really arnt that short looking when young. not untill the specimen gains any size at all does the snout appear short.

the tail is really were most of the pattern is, much of what a shorty is. the the rest of the body is the abnormal part of the pattern. shortys tend to not have those.

is that better sol? LOL
 
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