Unusual fish with twisted spine caught in Florida waters astounds biologists

Florida biologists were stunned after capturing a fish with an unusually curved spine. The FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute recently released a photo of a biologist holding the fish.

The fish was caught in Silver Glen Springs, an idyllic spring in the Ocala National Forest. Authorities said it weighed 10.6 pounds and was 2.7 feet long.

The caption of the Facebook post about the “Crooked Gar” reads: “We have another interesting specimen for you. Our biologists captured this longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) during an electrofishing study in Silver Glen Springs. Unlike the bull shark with a spinal deformity we shared a few weeks ago, this fish likely got its interesting shape from a spinal injury at some point in its life.”

“The fish was 32 inches long and weighed over 11 pounds! With its razor-sharp teeth and armor-like scales, the longnose gar may look scary, but it poses no threat to humans and plays an important role as a top predator in many of Florida’s freshwater ecosystems,” he adds.

What is the longnose gar?

According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, these fish are distinguished by their elongated, torpedo-shaped bodies and extremely long snouts, almost twice as long as their heads and filled with a row of sharp teeth. Their scales are particularly thick and overlapping.

The website says these fish are “fearsome ambush predators in slow-moving rivers, bayous and reservoirs of the eastern United States.” They can survive in low-oxygen, higher-salinity waters than other fish because of their ability to gulp air whenever necessary.

These fish are fished commercially in Arkansas and are considered nuisance fish in some areas that prey on game fish. The website adds that “longnose gar are important predators in many ecosystems and are important in preventing other species from overpopulating habitats.”