TOSHIYUKI TAKEYA/ Staff Writer
December 9, 2016 at 10:30 JST
Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.
Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.
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With its large, torpedo-shaped body, long snout and razor-sharp teeth, the alligator gar is aptly named--as it is easily mistaken for a fearsome reptile.
The invasive species made headlines earlier this year when one was spotted in the moat of Nagoya Castle. People unfamiliar with the fish sometimes mistake them for alligators.
Either way, the predatory fish is sufficiently scary-looking for most people to want to keep their distance.
But if you want to take a close look at these creatures, head to the Toba Aquarium in Toba, Mie Prefecture.
It has 1,200 aquatic species on display, making the aquarium one of the nation’s largest collections.
The aquarium has a water tank with three 1-meter-long alligator gars, which are regarded as living fossils.
As soon as a video camera was placed in the waterweed, the fish started rapidly swimming in the tank, stirring up debris on the bottom of the tank.
But according to chief keeper Shinya Mitani, 49, alligator gars are easily intimidated and have a small appetite. They won’t attack people unless they are provoked.
The North American native fish can grow up to 3 meters in length and weigh between 50 and 100 kilograms.
The Environment Ministry is set to add the alligator gar to the list of invasive alien species in 2018.
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