Guatemala ensures survival of vulnerable 'fossil' fish / Photo: © AFP
-
Japanese-Born Professor Attributes Rise in Korea-Japan Marriages to K-Drama Influence and Affectionate Behavior
-
New Campaign Highlights Knowledge Gaps on Carbon Monoxide Safety Among Americans
-
Economist Testifies Canada Has Limited Power to Alter Global Climate
-
JR East Launches 'teppay' to Integrate Suica Balance with Mobile Payments
-
Dublin Band Aslan Headlines Our Lady’s Hospice Light Up A Life Ceremony
-
Phil Spencer on Housing Market Fairness: How Buyers and Sellers Navigate Falling Prices
-
UAE Cabinet Approves Up to Dh350,000 in Disaster Relief for Citizens
-
Beirut Cinema Festival Draws Thousands Despite War Fatigue
-
Korea's Severe Asthma Patients Blocked from Biologics by Restrictive Reimbursement Rules
-
AMD Forecasts First-Ever Revenue Lead Over Intel on AI Chip Surge
-
COP31: Ana Toni Outlines Fossil Fuel Transition Roadmap Ahead of Climate Talks
-
GoodData.AI Launches the Agentic Serving Plane, a New Category of Enterprise Data Infrastructure for AI Agents
-
Securitas Healthcare Introduces a New Era of RTLS Built for the Future of Healthcare Operations
-
Abu Dhabi Demand Response Project Achieves 401 MW Peak Reduction in 2025
-
First-time boat buyers advised to assess full ownership costs
-
Panthers expected to begin 2027 NRL season away from new stadium
-
Planning and preparation can reduce stress of interstate relocation
-
Sweet As app launches restaurant discovery platform
-
Two more arrested in Carrie Mullane suspected murder investigation
-
MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road
-
Mayo school appeals for information after convent and chapel vandalism
-
Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks
-
Virginia overwhelms Arkansas 91-72 behind balanced scoring
-
Canadian soldier Aidan Goulding remembered at Vancouver funeral
-
Second major storm brings destructive winds and outages to British Columbia
-
Tayyab Arif hits 57 on Pakistan Test debut against Sri Lanka
-
Godzilla Minus Zero leads North American box office with $31.6m
-
Robert Trujillo discusses literacy and social justice children’s books
-
Doug Burgum's Security Interferes With TMZ Reporter at Reagan Airport
-
Advocate calls for coordinated support for children facing trafficking
Guatemala ensures survival of vulnerable 'fossil' fish
In a freshwater canal surrounded by mangroves in southern Guatemala, hundreds of baby tropical gars -- a torpedo-shaped fish with an alligator-like snout dubbed the "fossil fish" -- are released into the wild.
The fry were raised in tanks by the Marine Conservation Center of Guatemala City's La Aurora Zoo and then taken by boat to their natural habitat.
This is the first time that the species, which is threatened by illegal fishing, pollution and extreme weather events exacerbated by the El Nino weather pattern, has been raised in captivity.
The tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) is considered prehistoric by scientists because it has survived without morphological changes for 100 million years.
It is a smaller relative of the alligator gar, one of the largest freshwater fish in North America.
Adults can reach 1.2 meters (four feet) in length and weigh about 10 kilograms (22 pounds).
It plays "a very important role" in Guatemala's freshwater ecosystem, Jennifer Hernandez, deputy head of conservation at La Aurora Zoo, explained to AFP.
Being a carnivorous fish it helps maintain "balance" in rivers, she explained.
The fish is designated as "vulnerable" in Guatemala.
"It is a species that, in years to come, could reach a much more critical state,” Gaitan warned.
Y.Bouchard--BTB
