A young angler from South Florida recently reached out to the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s freshwater fisheries team with a truly remarkable catch. While our biologists occasionally encounter very dark gar and other species in the Everglades and throughout South Florida, this fish stood out as something special. It is believed to be a rare melanistic Florida gar.
Melanism is a condition marked by an unusually dark appearance caused by excessive melanin in the skin, scales, fur, or feathers. It is relatively uncommon in wildlife and is not something biologists see very often, making this catch especially unique.
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