An American angler has hooked a real-life living fossil. Danny Lee Smith, who loves fishing with rod and line, was on the Neosho River in the US state of Kansas when a large fish took his hook. Once it was landed, it turned out to be an alligator gar. It is reported that the species had not been found in Kansas rivers before.

The alligator gar is called a living fossil. The term is generally used for animals that appeared in the distant past and survive today without change, while their contemporaries have died out. Scientists believe the alligator gar fossils found so far are about 100 million years old.

According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the alligator gar Danny Lee caught was four and a half feet long and weighed about 18 kg. Danny Lee said Kansas waters hold many kinds of gar, but this was the first time this fish had been found in a Kansas river.

Describing the rare experience, Danny said: "I was amazed after taking the fish out of the water! Gar usually thrash about a lot when caught in a net or on a hook, but this one was completely calm. It is one of the best experiences of my life."

Source: Bangladesh Pratidin. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.