@PrimitiveFishes

Living fossils and their ancestors...with the occasional mix of teleosts, tetrapods, and conservation ecology. Authored by @SolomonRDavid

primitivefishes.com
Joined September 2013
  • Tweets14.7K
  • Following801
  • Followers3.8K
Check out the latest @scifri podcast, featuring gars as the ultimate living fossils! pod.link/73329284/episode/40…
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidOct 16
GAR WEEK 2026 is coming!!! #GarWeek with @OKWildlifeDept @TheGarLab (and YOU) is November 16-20, 2026! Offishal Trailer here👇
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidOct 1
#GarWeek will indeed be November 16-20 this year!
Vicky Boyd@AgWriterVLBoydSep 30
Looks like #GarWeek is late this year. Dec. 16 is rumored to be the kick-off date. Is that true, @SolomonRDavid ?
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidJun 25
Native rough fish research enlists Minnesota anglers outdoornews.com/2026/06/25/n… St. Paul — Researchers are harnessing the help of Minnesota anglers to gather data on native rough fish populations while educating the public about these species. @TheGarLab
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Andrew Rypel@andrewrypelJun 22
Crayfish (also 'crawfish', 'crawdads', 'crawdiddies' and more) - Possibly the most important animals you've never thought much about? New Tangled Nature Deep Dive, with Dr. Jim Stoeckel👇 tnature.substack.com/p/crayf…
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidJun 22
Trash fish? More like some of the oldest — and most important — species in Minnesota @MNReformer minnesotareformer.com/2026/0…

Trash fish? More like some of the oldest — and most important — species in Minnesota. • Minnesota...

Until recently, these species were all classified as “rough fish,” or “trash fish.” None of them had limits or protections, and due to an outdated, frontier mentality toward wildlife in the water,...

minnesotareformer.com
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidJun 21
Minnesota waters are full of ancient fish ― and the science behind them is pretty cool startribune.com/fishing-angl… @TheGarLab @StarTribune

Perry: Minnesota waters are full of ancient fish ― and the science behind them is pretty cool

Contributing columnist David M. Perry joined the U’s GarLab team on an electrofishing expedition June 15 to learn more about gar and other native rough fish species.

startribune.com
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidFeb 15
On the importance of “native rough fish” in Minnesota and to aquatic ecosystems overall👍 mankatofreepress.com/sports/…

When rough is getting boundaries in fishing

In this chapter of comprehensive aquatic ecosystem management, Minnesota DNR is moving toward establishing harvest limits for native rough fish.

mankatofreepress.com
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Dr. Solomon David@SolomonRDavidFeb 10
In Pursuit of Alligator Gar, the Ancient Giant of the Shallows New @gardenandgun: gardenandgun.com/feature/in-…

In Pursuit of Alligator Gar, the Ancient Giant of the Shallows

The prehistoric fish with a toothy grin is fueling floodplain restoration efforts on the Mississippi River

gardenandgun.com
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And that’s a wrap on 2025 @TheGarLab! GARgantuan thanks to our students, collaborators, and friends for their ongoing work and support of our freshwater conservation efforts!
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BIGGEST Longnose Gar for @TheGarLab team! At 60.5 inches (154 cm), it’s a true giant for the species. Caught-tagged-released, it will help us learn more about river-floodplain connectivity👍 I’m aiming the fish toward our collaborators’ sonar, so we can track/measure it!
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Outlook in Minnesota with impending snowstorm 🥶
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Guess how big these two Alligator Gars were? Sorry not sorry 😅
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Friend and native fish angler extraordinaire @moxostoma made this and I needed to add it to the list! 😂👍
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“When Did You Get Caught?” Here’s @TheGarLab’s Spotify Wrapped list, let us know if there are any gartists that we missed 👀
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Agar: Science or Magic? Thoughts @OKWildlifeDept?
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Smile! The alligator gar is among the largest freshwater fish in North America. They may grow up to 10 feet and weigh more than 300lbs. These fish are found in the southeast in freshwater lakes and brackish marshes, estuaries and bays along the Gulf coast. 📸Ryan Hagerty/USFWS
A biologist holds a large alligator gar fish with its mouth open, exposing its large sharp teeth.

ALT A biologist holds a large alligator gar fish with its mouth open, exposing its large sharp teeth.

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Hao@AncientHao3 Dec 2025
Throwback to 2020, when I kept my Cubans and Tropical together on light colored sand. I kind of miss this. I love viewing them from the top whenever I do waterchange. 😊
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Spotted Gars think they’re salmon swimming upstream😂 Most gars do in fact migrate to spawn, typically from rivers & lakes to adjacent floodplains. Some gars, however, swim upstream to spawn. Unlike salmon, gars don’t die after spawning, and often return annually. 🎥 D.McDonald
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“Why not both Steve?” Check out our episode @MeatEaterTV chatting gars and native fish conservation with host Steve Rinella! youtu.be/xLDSV5qbyzw?si=2tzh…
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Hey @OKWildlifeDept, we broke out the Fishmas decGARations over the weekend! 🐠🎄
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