Gar ID game!

[E_americanus]

Could you elaborate on this? I'm not sure i follow.

porpoising is merely jumping out of the water (either fully or partially)...any gar species can do it, and i've seen all the species do it at one point or another...hence this particular 'fun fact clue' doesn't follow the standards of said clue being species specific. breaking or breaching is the more commonly accepted term for when gars go up for air.

as for ID (some participation in the thread here), the striations in the tail suggest Atractosteus genus as opposed to Lepisosteus, since Lepisosteus generally will have spots, not striations.
that narrows it down to 3 species. the bronze coloration is unique to the Cuban gars and is generally a dead giveaway. tropicals would look much darker or just white in that area, gators would be brownish or somewhat spotted around the caudal peduncle (or lack pattern, but still not bronze).

a 'fun fact' that i would suggest for these fish is that they are very susceptible to pH fluctuations...moreso than any of the other species

--solomon

 

[demjor19]

porpoising is merely jumping out of the water (either fully or partially)...any gar species can do it, and i've seen all the species do it at one point or another...hence this particular 'fun fact clue' doesn't follow the standards of said clue being species specific. breaking or breaching is the more commonly accepted term for when gars go up for air.

as for ID (some participation in the thread here), the striations in the tail suggest Atractosteus genus as opposed to Lepisosteus, since Lepisosteus generally will have spots, not striations.
that narrows it down to 3 species. the bronze coloration is unique to the Cuban gars and is generally a dead giveaway. tropicals would look much darker or just white in that area, gators would be brownish or somewhat spotted around the caudal peduncle (or lack pattern, but still not bronze).

a 'fun fact' that i would suggest for these fish is that they are very susceptible to pH fluctuations...moreso than any of the other species

--solomon

I got ya now! Thanks for the clarification.

 

[xander]

porpoising is merely jumping out of the water (either fully or partially)...any gar species can do it, and i've seen all the species do it at one point or another...hence this particular 'fun fact clue' doesn't follow the standards of said clue being species specific. breaking or breaching is the more commonly accepted term for when gars go up for air.

as for ID (some participation in the thread here), the striations in the tail suggest Atractosteus genus as opposed to Lepisosteus, since Lepisosteus generally will have spots, not striations.
that narrows it down to 3 species. the bronze coloration is unique to the Cuban gars and is generally a dead giveaway. tropicals would look much darker or just white in that area, gators would be brownish or somewhat spotted around the caudal peduncle (or lack pattern, but still not bronze).

a 'fun fact' that i would suggest for these fish is that they are very susceptible to pH fluctuations...moreso than any of the other species

--solomon

thanks! that was the reply i was looking for!

alright not let's see someone else post a gar ID

 

[KaraJo]

Alright,
Scientific Fact: Theis species is heavily armored with interlocking ganoid scales
Fun Fact: This species can be notorious for being skittish and breaking thier back.

 

[channarox]

this species is found in north america.
it so closely resembles another species to the point where it is almost impossible to tell them apart.

 

[demjor19]

Alright,
Scientific Fact: Theis species is heavily armored with interlocking ganoid scales
Fun Fact: This species can be notorious for being skittish and breaking thier back.

All gar species have ganoid scales...I won't take a guess since this is/was our fish.

 

[channarox]

Alright,
Scientific Fact: Theis species is heavily armored with interlocking ganoid scales
Fun Fact: This species can be notorious for being skittish and breaking thier back.

longnose?
longnose tend to be very skittish from what ive heard.
and coloration resembles fl/spotted gars.

 

[demjor19]

this species is found in north america.
it so closely resembles another species to the point where it is almost impossible to tell them apart.

So are they Florida or Spotteds? How about some locality info?

I will guess Florida Gar since they appear to be in an LFS setting and the Florida Gar is much more commonly found in the fish trade than the Spotted Gar.

 

[channarox]

So are they Florida or Spotteds? How about some locality info?

these are actually from asia because they are farm bred here.
but in the wild they can be found in Ochlockonee River and waters east and in peninsular Florida.

 

[demjor19]

these are actually from asia because they are farm bred here.
but in the wild they can be found in Ochlockonee River and waters east and in peninsular Florida.

Florida Gar