Tropical Gar
Atractosteus tropicus
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Fish
The tropical gar is a large freshwater fish found in Central America. It is located in both Pacific and Atlantic drainage basins, streams, and wetlands. The species holds culinary significance in Tabasco, Mexico, where it is harvested for its tender flesh. The gar uses its signature elongated snout to ambush and capture live prey, usually in the form of small freshwater fish. These features are ancestral in nature, with the species often being considered a "living fossil". Other names for the tropical gar include gaspar in Costa Rica and pejelagarto in Mexico, a combination of "pez" (fish) and "lagarto" (lizard).
Classification
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Lepisosteiformes
- Family
- Lepisosteidae
- Genus
- Atractosteus