5-Foot Black Melanistic Alligator Gar Caught by 2 Anglers in Texas [See Photos]

Two fishermen had a rare find when they went fishing recently. The Texas anglers shared photos of a jet-black river creature they caught on social media.

Melanistic Alligator Gar Caught in Texas

Justin Jordan and Terrell Maguire were fishing on a marsh in southeast Texas when they came across an all-black creature which they estimated to be about 5 feet long. They believed that it could still grow longer.

Jordan, who works as a fishing guide for Lotus Guide Service in the area, told Newsweek that the creature was a rare melanistic alligator gar.

He posted some photos of the beast on his Facebook page with the caption: "Well ... [we] found out melanistic gar do exist."

The photos show the jet-black alligator gar thrashing about the water with its mouth wide open and showing its large white teeth. Social media users have expressed their amazement at the creature and its bizarre appearance in the comment section.

Alligator gars are prehistoric animals that have changed very little and are known for their huge sizes. They are usually dark green or olive in color, but the one they caught was all black, which is even rarer. They often live in North and Central America. And unlike the alligators, they are harmless.

According to a similar report from Ceng News, alligator gars are considered to be endangered species. Also, a black alligator gar is so uncommon that only little is known about them. Scientists have not even been able to track the population in Texas rivers.

Due to habitat destruction and overfishing, scientists said that the population of alligator gar in the US is declining. The rivers they once frequented are being restructured or destroyed mainly due to human activities.

In Texas, they are protected with the bag limit of one fish of any size per day. But there are no bag limits on other species of gar, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

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Melanism in Animals

Melanism in animals is due to the increased amount of melanin in the skin, hair, and feathers. According to Active Wild, melanin is a dark pigment that gives a dark appearance to animals and humans. But genetic mutation could cause too much production of the pigment that results in melanistic animals, such as black leopards and jaguars that are more commonly known as panthers.

Sometimes, melanism could benefit the animals as it gives them better camouflage and better protection from the sun's harmful rays. These advantages mean that they are more likely to reproduce as they are less likely to be eaten before reaching sexual maturity than albinos.

Their offspring have high chances of being melanistic and produce populations of darker individuals. This phenomenon is commonly known as adaptive melanism.