Want to eat the invasive alligator gar to endangerment? Be careful, it will kill you on the spot

Beijing Daily reported that two days ago, residents of Beijing Baiwang Jasmine Garden community saw a "crocodile" more than half a meter long in the community's water system while taking a walk in the community.

Later, with the efforts of the community owners, the "crocodile" in the water system was finally captured.

Alligator gar in the news, photo courtesy of Beijing Evening News

It turns out that this is not a real crocodile, but an invasive species that looks very similar to a crocodile - the "large fish monster" alligator gar.

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Alligator gar that looks like an alligator

Alligator gar is a type of gar. Because its body is covered with hard scales and its long mouth is full of sharp teeth, it does look somewhat similar to crocodiles.

People who like ornamental fish are not unfamiliar with it and usually call it "sharp-mouthed crocodile" or "rocket" because its upper and lower jaws are also long with sharp teeth on them, which look like both a spear and a rocket.

Alligator gar in the news, photo courtesy of Beijing Evening News

Gar is a species belonging to the family of gar in taxonomy. A 120 million-year-old Cretaceous gar fossil was found in Europe, so it is also called a "living fossil" among fish .

At that time, there were many species of gar, which were found in almost all waters around the world. But now, this ancient fish is no longer thriving, and only the alligator gar and six other gar species are found. Their distribution range is limited to eastern North America and Central America.

Alligator gar is a large carnivorous fish, generally 1 to 2 meters long, the largest can reach 3 meters, and is also the largest among all gars. They have a long, cylindrical body, blue-gray with dark black markings, a relatively wide mouth, and a ferocious appearance.

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Alligator gar likes to live alone, usually in fresh water, occasionally into salt water, mainly feeding on other freshwater fish. When it hunts, it always swims slowly, like a piece of wood floating in the water. Once the time is right, it will rush over quickly, open its long mouth with sharp teeth, and capture the prey.

Among several species of gar, the alligator gar is the most popular among ornamental fish enthusiasts. It is said that this is because this fish accepts all kinds of fish and eats both large and small ones, and thus, the breeders also hope that they can eat both large and small fish and make a lot of money like them. Therefore, the alligator gar is given a very auspicious name - "Lucky Crocodile".

The eel has a unique secret among fish, which is its super swallowing ability. It can swallow creatures larger than itself. The swallowing ability of the eel is even comparable to that of snakes.

However, it should be noted that the reasons for the two's super swallowing abilities are slightly different. The jaws of snakes are connected by ligaments, which can produce an expansion effect. The mandibular plate of the eel has a sac-like structure, but its function is similar to that of the ligament and can also produce an expansion effect.

Alligator gar, courtesy of Susan Middleton, California Academy of Sciences

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Violent invasive species

Alligator gar traveled across the oceans through the ornamental fish trade and came to my country and other countries outside North America and Central America.

Unfortunately, some people often buy it home to raise and watch it for a while, but then lose interest and abandon it at will or release it into wild waters.

In the Yangtze River Basin and areas south of it, fishermen or fishing enthusiasts often find traces of alligator gar or other gar, such as Qinzhou City in Guangxi, Linfen City in Shanxi, Ganxian County in Jiangxi, Xinfeng County in Guangdong, Dongguan City, Tongshanxi in Fujian, Suzhou City and Wenzhou City in Jiangsu, Yongzhou City in Hunan, etc. If you encounter a larger individual, it will take some effort to capture it.

Alligator gar is at the top of the food chain. This "freshwater killer" has no natural enemies in our waters. Its existence will bring fatal harm to all fish in the waters.

Alligator gar tooth, courtesy of Cathleen Bester

Those alligator gar that are released randomly into the natural environment have no natural enemies to check and balance them, and they cannot be killed artificially. Once they adapt to the environment and form natural populations, the outcome will be out of control and the balance of the ecosystem will be seriously disrupted.

Due to the potential harm caused by alligator gar, their names are now included in the list of invasive alien species in many countries around the world, reminding people to strictly manage the introduction and breeding of alligator gar and not allow them to enter natural environments outside their native habitats.

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Eat to extinction? Forget it, beware of poison

When it comes to invasive species, many people will think about whether they can be solved by eating them like crayfish.

However, alligator gar cannot be eaten. Because it tastes bad and it may cause poisoning...

There are a very small number of residents in the native habitat of the eel who have a strong taste for it and will eat eel meat (which is said to not taste very good). Before eating, you must make sure that the eel you are eating is in the ovulation period, otherwise the risk of poisoning will increase.

The eggs laid by alligator gar are highly toxic , green in color, and usually attached to water plants or gravel. If people eat them by mistake, they will be poisoned or even life-threatening.

Alligator gar in an aquarium. Courtesy of Susan Middleton, California Academy of Sciences

We need to remind everyone not to release or discard alien invasive species at will .

In addition, we also hope that management departments at all levels can strengthen and standardize the management of alien ornamental fish.

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