Anyone seen one like this before

[xander]

IMO the coloration on this fish is physiologic and not Morphologic. It is not terribly uncommon for a gar to have this Red brown coloration to them. I have a Shortnosed that was much like this one when it was smaller. Not so much now that it has grown.

in that case, a change in enviroment should return the fish back to it's normal colours, no? or does age simply put it right. what causes the red colouration?

 

[Polypterus]

in that case, a change in enviroment should return the fish back to it's normal colours, no? or does age simply put it right. what causes the red colouration?

This is not really that uncommon...what is uncommon is the fish appears to be patternless dorsally and A Flordia/spotted. Accordingly this fish is only around 25CM it has a ways to grow still a very well could fade or change coloration.

 

[Justin94565]

Nice lookin fish my dear friend.

 

[norma]

Very nice fish. Very rare.

 

[channarox]

now thats a red gar!

 

[demjor19]

these fish are always going through color changes. every gar i have has changed color at some point in time. my first florida/spotted was almost completely black for it's first year...it now looks like a typical florida/spotted. your fish is young and has some growing to do yet.

 

[E_americanus]

these fish are always going through color changes. every gar i have has changed color at some point in time. my first florida/spotted was almost completely black for it's first year...it now looks like a typical florida/spotted. your fish is young and has some growing to do yet.

exactly. just shows some juvenile variation...nice color/pattern, but nothing necessarily out of the ordinary for a young gar--
--solomon

 

[Mystus Redtail]

That is beautiful

 

[josefandtin]

cool gar. nice color. but its still young i doubt if it would stay the same when it gets old.