New Kind Of Fish That Resembles A Crocodile Found In Srinagar’s Dal Lake!

by Shreya Rathod
New Kind Of Fish That Resembles A Crocodile Found In Srinagar’s Dal Lake!

We are familiar with the Dal Lake located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. It is an urban lake — in fact, the second-largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, which both locals and tourists often visit. Moreover, it is an integral part of tourism! Recently, a new kind of fish was found here by the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA). Read further to know more about this Dal Lake fish.

New Kind Of Fish Found In Dal Lake!

dal lake
Credits: Canva

The Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), Jammu & Kashmir, made a remarkable discovery. They identified a rare species of fish for the first time in Dal Lake. The fish is referred to as an “Alligator Gar” fish by specialists. The relatively rare fish was discovered in Dal Lake when the authorities were cleaning. The fish, according to government officials, has razor-sharp teeth and a crocodile-like head.

According to Masood Ahmad, an expert from J&K LCMA, the machines were working to remove weeds when this fish unexpectedly floated up to the surface. They have never before seen this particular species of fish, called an Alligator Gar. Everyone found it surprising because they had never seen a fish that looked quite like a crocodile. Most of them expressed shock.

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They are analysing the problem and asking the fisheries department for assistance. They’ll check to see if the lake has more of these fish.

What Is Alligator Gar?

alligator gar dal lake
Credits: Canva

The bowfin-related alligator gar is a ray-finned euryhaline fish. It is one of the biggest freshwater fish in North America and the largest species in the “gar” family. Gars are frequently referred to as “primitive fishes” or “living fossils” because they still exhibit some of their early progenitors’ anatomical traits.

Their common name comes from the American alligator, which they resemble. Especially, from their enormous snouts and long, pointed teeth. The torpedo-shaped body of an alligator gar is typically brown or olive in colour and fades to a lighter grey or yellow ventral surface.

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In extremely rare instances, they can even be black, appearing in gars with a lot of melanin.

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva