WoW, 3 of my GAR fishes...!!!!

[demjor19]

What's the difference between an alligator gar and a florida gar? I've seen alligator gars around here (ocala area) about 7' long. Very intimidating when you are swimming in the river with them.

ummm....when was the last time you saw a 7' florida gar?

 

[pmtuneman13]

I didn't say it was a florida gar... It was an alligator gar... and it scared the hell out of me. I thought I was bait for a minute... I saw it early this year. It looked about a foot larger than my friend under water and he is about 6' tall. It was in the rainbow river in the Dunnellon area, west of Ocala.

I thought that what people were calling florida gars more closely resembled an alligator gar. To me they look very much like what I know as a longnose gar. This question was a clarification. People want to call everything an alligator gar down here. And thanks for wishing I were fish food guys. - that would be a very ironic death indeed.

 

[E_americanus]

probably big longnose gars, although the size was exaggerated to an extent. alligator gars are somewhat in the panhandle, but not in the area of Florida which you are describing.
it can be hard to estimate the size of moving fishes in the water, so they could have been large Florida gars too (again, with the size slightly skewed larger than reality). hope that helps; it's always cool to see big gars in the wild!--
--solomon

 

[pmtuneman13]

I was snorkeling, not looking down through the surface distortion. It looked like an alligator. It had a flat, broad head.... at this point I don't care if anyone believes me ... it's not worth the effort. and do your research about alligator gars americanus. They are in many rivers in central florida.

 

[vinson lim]

ok, looks like its real then....
i thought u was kidding in the early stage...
sorry man.
When was this incident happen? this year ?

 

[BushFishRox]

 

[fivespeed302]

nice pics, thanks for sharing

 

[Polypterus]

It just had to happen....Someone has to post the Bubba stupid grin pic...

As for Gator gar and central Florida...There is a chance that some have been illegally stocked there but this is not their natural range and Solomon is correct on their natural distribution. I have personally never seen a vouchered record of an Alligator gar in central Florida yet...Along the Gulf coast is a different matter but not inland.

 

[E_americanus]

I was snorkeling, not looking down through the surface distortion. It looked like an alligator. It had a flat, broad head.... at this point I don't care if anyone believes me ... it's not worth the effort. and do your research about alligator gars americanus. They are in many rivers in central florida.

"It looked like an alligator. It had a flat, broad head...."

flat broad head can be used for pretty much any gar, except perhaps a longnose.

"and do your research about alligator gars americanus."

i'm not trying to brag, but trust me when i say i have very likely done much more research on gars than you have done


given richard's statement, there is a chance they could have been illegally introduced, but again, vouchered specimens and no data exist showing them in this range.
talk is cheap, buy an underwater camera and snap a photo next time --
--solomon

 

[demjor19]

... it's not worth the effort. and do your research about alligator gars americanus. They are in many rivers in central florida.

maybe you should understand the people you are bashing a little better. E_Americanus and Polypterus have done more gar research than probably anyone one this forum.

and speaking of research...who was the one who could not id between L. Platyrhincus and A Spatula?

like polypterus said. they may have been illegally stocked there, but it is not their native range. they def. could thrive there, but they dont belong there. florida has many such fish.