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Alligator Gar

Alligator Gar line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Alligator Gar full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Alligator Gar was completed on 6.11.2011. I've seen these prehistoric looking fish in many aquariums, including the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. I wasn't sure they would make very good subjects to illustrate, as they tend to just hang around in a pretty horizontal position. But then I was going through some old photos I took when the aquarium was in it's temporary home on Howard Street, and I found this excellent image to work from.

Information about the Alligator Gar:

The Alligator Gar is a large, freshwater fish found in the swamps, lakes, large river, tributaries and sluggishly moving streams in the southern parts of the US and down into Mexico. The gar is a ray-fined fish, and is remarkable for it's ability to survive out of water for a long time - up to two hours. They can grow very long, as much as 8-10 feet (2.4-3 meters) and weigh over 200 pounds (90 kg.) Despite their fearsome and threatening appearance, the Alligator gar is a fairly placid fish and no attacks on humans has ever been verified. The gar is a popular sporting fish, and is also served as a delicacy in some restaurants. The fish also sometimes turns up in aquariums, despite it's massive size.