Cuban Gar Fish: Facts, Habitat, and Conservation in 2025

Deep in the misty wetlands of western Cuba lurks a living relic — the Cuban gar (Atractosteus tristoechus), better known locally as the manjuarí. With its armored body, crocodile-like snout, and teeth sharp enough to shred prey in an instant, this prehistoric fish has survived every mass extinction for the past 240 million years… but it may not survive the 21st century.

Here’s everything you need to know about one of the planet’s most fascinating — and most endangered — freshwater predators.

Quick Facts About the Cuban Gar

A True Living Fossil

The Cuban gar belongs to a family of fishes that swam alongside dinosaurs. While T-rex and its contemporaries vanished 66 million years ago, the gar lineage quietly endured. Its heavy armor, ability to gulp air at the surface, and explosive ambush hunting style made it nearly indestructible — until modern threats arrived.

Where It Lives: Cuba’s Pristine (and Fragile) Wetlands

The manjuarí is found only in the slow-moving, vegetation-choked waters of:

• Ciénaga de Zapata (the Caribbean’s largest and best-preserved wetland)
• Lanier Swamp on Isla de la Juventud
• Remote rivers and lagoons in Pinar del Río and Matanzas provinces

These warm, murky habitats are perfect for a stealth predator that lies motionless among roots and then strikes like lightning.

The Biggest Threat: An African Invader

In the late 1990s, the African walking catfish (Clarias gariepinus) was introduced to Cuban fish farms. It escaped, exploded in numbers, and began devouring everything in its path — including baby Cuban gars. This air-breathing invader tolerates drought, poor water quality, and even walks across land to colonize new ponds. Native gars never stood a chance.

Result? The Cuban gar population has crashed. Some experts fear it could disappear from mainland Cuba within a decade without drastic action.

Conservation Efforts Gaining Momentum in 2025

Hope is not lost. Recent initiatives include:

• Captive breeding and release of hatchlings into protected mangrove zones
• Mangrove restoration to create safe nurseries for juveniles
• Strict bans on further exotic catfish introductions
• Eco-tourism programs that fund wetland protection

Every pencil-sized baby gar released into the Zapata Swamp today is a small victory against extinction.

Why the Cuban Gar Matters

It’s more than just a scary-looking fish. The manjuarí is:

• A top predator that keeps entire ecosystems balanced
• A symbol of Cuba’s unique natural heritage (it even appeared on old Cuban peso notes)
• A warning about how quickly invasive species can destroy native biodiversity

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