Tropical Storm Debby helped gar escape from the Rotonda canals into Coral Creek during high water.
Gars are air breathers so have no difficulty taking "walks" such as this.
Gar bodies are elongated, heavily armored with elongated jaws filled with long sharp teeth. Their swim bladders can function as lungs so most gars surface periodically to take a gulp of air, doing so more frequently in stagnant or warm water when the concentration of oxygen in the water is low.
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Five gars make the crossover into Coral Creek.
They are hardy fish able to tolerate conditions that would kill most other fish. All gars are relatively large commonly reaching 2 feet in length.
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Photo credit: Bob Winter
