Biologists are perplexed about this crooked fish in Florida. They recently caught a fish that had a strangely crooked spine, and biologists aren't quite sure what's going on here.
In a Facebook post, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute shared their unusual catch. One of the biologists held the crooked fish, which measured 2.7 feet long and weighed 10.6 pounds. They caught the crooked fish at Silver Glen Springs, a spring in Ocala National Forest.
"We got another interesting one for ya," the Facebook post read. "Our biologists captured this longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) while conducting an electrofishing survey in Silver Glen Springs."
Crooked Fish Caught By Biologists
"Unlike the bull shark with a spinal deformity that we shared a few weeks ago, this fish likely got its interesting shape from a spinal injury at some point in its life," the post added. They're not quite sure what caused the fish to have a crooked spine. However, they believe that it was caused by an injury. Whatever the cause, the fish certainly had an interesting shape.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute noted that the fish poses no real risk of harm to humans. However, they agreed that looks pretty gnarly. "With their razor-sharp teeth and armor-like scales, longnose gar may look scary, but they are no threat to humans, and they play an important role as an apex predator in many of Florida's freshwater ecosystems," the statement added.
Longnose gar are freshwater fish and can be found across Florida. They can grow up to six feet long. Several people shared their thoughts.
One wrote, "I think mesopredator is the word you are looking for. Gators, otters, and surely a few other species will eat them." Another wrote, "Pretty amazing stuff." Another wrote, "Sweet smile on that lady!" Yet another wrote, "Pretty amazing stuff."
