- "I caught a gar! It ain't gettin' too far!"
The Gar, Atractosteus spatula, is a rare fish found in the river pond between the hours of 4pm and 9am, between the months of June and September (becoming more common in September). It sells for 6,000 Bells, and is considered the nighttime counterpart of the Giant Snakehead.
Museum[]
An information board in the aquarium will provide information about this fish.
"Their long faces and large mouths make them look like alligators. Some can grow up to three yards. They are ancient fish that haven't changed since they first appeared millions of years ago. They breathe not only through gills, but also by sticking their mouths above the surface of the water. Gar eggs are poisonous, so people all over the world are advised not to eat them- no exceptions."
In real life[]
The Alligator Gar is a primitive ray-finned fish. Its name derives from the alligator-like appearance of dual row large teeth in the upper jaw, along with the fish’s elongated snout. The dorsal surface of the Alligator Gar is a brown or olive-color, while the ventral surface tends to be lighter. Their scales are sometimes used by Native Americans for jewelry and arrow heads.
The Alligator Gar is a relatively passive, solitary fish that are found in the Lower Mississippi River Valley and Gulf Coast states of the Southeastern United States and Mexico as far south as Veracruz. It is carnivorous and feeds by lurking amongst reeds and other vegetation, ambushing prey. Though the Alligator Gar prefers slow-moving waters of rivers, bayous, and oxbows throughout most of the year, it appears to need spring time inundated floodplain fields or wetland vegetation in order to spawn.