A study published in March suggested that one of the most common fish in the US was actually a very cool dinosaur monster that somehow survived every disaster of the past 150 million years.
You may think you’re cool, but you’ll never be as cool as a gar.
This “ultimate living fossil” evolved at a slower rate than your predecessor, apparently unchanged for more than 150 million years, according to a study published in the journal Evolution.
This anatomically modern and strangely impressive slender-toothed creature has weaved its way through America’s lakes and rivers since it first appeared during the Jurassic period (163.5 million to 145 million years ago), Live Science said. According to the study, these animals have the slowest rate of molecular evolution of all jawed vertebrates known to man (except your ex).
As Hurricane Flooding Recedes, Dinosaur-Like Fish Appear https://t.co/6Ch1r5hHZb
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 11, 2022
The study used the term “living fossil” to describe animals that appear to have remained unchanged for millions of years. The researchers identified 471 different creatures that met the “living fossil” criteria, but gars and sturgeons had the slowest rates of change.
In fact, gar were found to have evolved three orders of magnitude slower than other living vertebrates, suggesting that God got them right the first time (unlike your ex). (RELATED: Forget Sharks, Gar Week Is America’s Greatest Tradition)
Besides the fact that all seven American species of gar are basically dinosaurs, they’re also cool for other reasons. For example, an alligator gar can grow up to 10 feet long, which is definitely taller than your ex. They’re also edible but not eaten as much, maybe because they’re so good, you know?
