Cuban gar

Cuban gar Latest News

Cuban scientists have taken restoration efforts in Cuba’s Zapata Swamp to save the Cuban gar from extinction. 

About Cuban gar

• The Cuban gar (Atractosteus tristoechus), also known as the manjuarí, is a fish in the family Lepisosteidae.
• This fish is part of a family called “gars,” which have been around for about 100 million years.
• It is a tropical, freshwater species, although it also inhabits brackish water.
• Characteristics of Cuban gar
  • It is also notable for its high tolerance of high ammonia and nitrate levels in water.
  • It has the ability to breathe some atmospheric air in absence of sufficiently oxygenated water.
• Habitat: It is found in various habitats from large lakes and rivers to sluggish tributaries, backwaters and pools, and can surive in both fresh and brackish waters.
• Distribution: It is found in rivers and lakes of western Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud. 
• Diet: Gars are ambush predators feeding on smaller fishes and aquatic crustaceans in nature.
• Threats: Habitat loss, and introduction of invasive species African walking catfish.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Critically Endangered

Source: India Today

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