Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Oh my garsh!
You’re looking at the second-largest
freshwater fish in North America.
These majestic (and slightly menacing)
beauties were once considered a nuisance.
Today, they garner a little more respect
and are protected in several states.
Pectoral fins help maneuver long-
bodied gar through tight spaces.
Gar use their log-like looks
to their advantage…
to ambushing unsuspecting prey
in sluggish southern waters.
Visit our 11 alligator gar in the Swamp,
across from our American alligator, Claude.
(No relation, but both species love trout
and are pros at drifting ominously.)

Learn more at calacademy.org/phenomena/creature-closeup-alligator-gar

Watch more Creature Closeups at youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS14biAqBAtH1jQO614KoELJCw34GeN75
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The California Academy of Sciences is a renowned scientific and educational institution dedicated to regenerating the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. Based in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, it's the only place in the world to house an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum—plus cutting-edge research programs—all under one living roof.

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