My Pet Alligator Gar: 5 Years Later!

[@d.j.aguilar6208]

I like how you are a responsible pet owner and understand that owning a pet is a long-term commitment.

[@lechkenassh9008]

the pond needs to be 30ft deep min !!!

[@Felix-jo7nj]

this, a lot of people already suck with domestic pets, and treat exotic pets like decor. i'm happy to see responsible exotic pet keepers!

[@darcieclements4880]

That's such a huge commitment but just seeing this set of pictures for the first time, it warms my heart. What an absolutely adorable little lake monster.

[@piouspigeon9327]

Dude is just a spoiled brat that buys what ever he wants with out doing research on things first.

[@mofushi3163]

@@lechkenassh9008 This is not true. Not for gar. They are an air-breathing fish. Their gills are not very good at taking in oxygen, and so they also have a lung for breathing air as well. They are actually quite hardy, and can be found living in every type of body of water, aside from saltwater. This is everything from deep raging rivers to shallow stagnant ponds. They don't need deep water. They really only need a few feet of depth, providing they have enough room to move about without constraint. So long as it is deep enough to have water in the bottom not freeze up in the winter, then they are fine. When it gets cold, their metabolism slows down, and it also increases the oxygen level in the water around them when it gets cold, so they can survive when the water freezes above them. Those things are everywhere around here in Texas. I like fishing, and so I encounter them quite often.

[@McGussen]

They grow up so fast. One day, you're feeding them tiny shrimp and minnows..and the next day, you're rummaging around in its stomach to get your 3 fingers back to see if doc can reattach them.

[@ManOfChaiTea]

lol

[@integratedhatespreader]

🤣🤣

[@betoen]

Aww!

[@mikek860]

Well played, sir, we’ll played! 😂

[@darcieclements4880]

I would like to know why someone is feeding their fingers to a gar😂 they look a lot scarier than they actually are.

[@user-rq8nh5fb5b]

"hopefully he outlives me." brought tears to my eyes man.

[@abubanana503]

good for grilling by then. ehehehe

[@Shiraumere]

@@abubanana503 Get help

[@saltgay]

​@@abubanana503you're hilarious bro

[@schr1mp]

@@abubanana503damn bro got the whole squad laughing

[@Imknown-r7w]

Ngl his children will probably bury grazos when he dies

[@billydeewilliams9104]

Can't wait to see you riding on a 10' Brazos' back. I think he likes you.

[@ratgreen]

Like Avatar way of the water

[@rinreborn7364]

Ark IRL

[@lechkenassh9008]

600 yrs old they can get and alligator size also !!! they are the few of the legendary water wildlife !!!

[@dragonflied3]

@@lechkenassh9008 uh... they definitely cannot live 600 years. 90 years is their average.

[@HammerJammer81]

Amazing how "Gentle" they are with you allowing you to pick them up without the thrashing

[@darcieclements4880]

They're armored, and can gulp air, so they don't need to have the same level of panic response that many fish rely on for survival. They were absolutely incredibly animals in the wild and I really hope that we're able to restore them throughout our water ways now that we understand them better. It's so terrible that people in the past tried to cause their extinction simply because they couldn't tell them apart from actual alligators and hysteria followed.

[@GarysBBQSupplies]

I was thinking the same thing. :)

[@newtybot]

Considering they get abducted from their homes like twice a year, I’d be pretty used to it too

[@Hoondju]

4:30 this is why everyone should put their fish back in the tank just incase. had dried up fish come back to life like this as well.

[@Sillysillylittleman]

We found a shriveled up upside down baby turtle looked dead for sure where we live, put him in a bucket of water and it came back to life and released it the next day

[@darcieclements4880]

Yep. Know your species. Alligator gar are all stars that can live in desiccated pond muck and then come right back once the area floods again. The only reason they've become so rare in the wild was humans intentionally trying to wipe them out, because people are prone to hysteria and we're blaming drownings on them which obviously they didn't do because the amount of damage he got from the bite when it was little there, is pretty comparable to the amount of damage they can do when they get bigger because their mouth gets progressively smaller relative to the rest of themselves. They only eat small fish, so at worst you're going to get some pinholes, but it actually is even funnier because their teeth get bigger when they get older and they're less sharp so, yeah they're not a big deal. A bit of a scrape maybe a bit of a cut, but that's only if for some reason you shove your body part into their mouth while they're in the process of eating a fish.😅 I may be gushing here, but this is probably my favorite North American Apex predator.

[@mofushi3163]

You can also do the same for betta fish. We had one that had hopped out of its little 10gallon tank. He was on the floor and looked dried out and dead. I put him back in, and he started wiggling and then swimming once his slime softened.

[@vespiary2066]

@@darcieclements4880 Are alligator gar rare in the wild? I've come across a few places where they're pretty common. I think for the most part they've learned to avoid humans.

[@foreverpainful]

as a kid one of our mystery snails crawled out and was all dried up covered in cat hair but my dad wanted to put it in the tank just in case and yup...mfer was still kickin and lived for a while yet

[@rosysanchez7823]

90 years old?! Wow man you’re going to be a awesome grandpa if you end up having those at 70-80 years old that would be crazy. If they survive that long, I’m sure you will still have them at that age

[@darcieclements4880]

Or if they get really big and really healthy they may join one of the reintroduction plans someday. We don't even really know what the upper limit on the ages because there was an eradication campaign that wiped most of them off the map. I've been hoping for decades, that people would realize these were an important ecological role in the Great lakes water system similar to wolves on land and start reintroducing them and I'm thrilled to have learned that that process is finally being discussed. They were eradicated because people developed hysteria and assumed that they caused drownings when in reality they never did anything related to that and are incapable of it. It's generally believed that if you alligators pulled people down and were mistaken for alligator gar and then it was just all hysteria spreading from there. The mature adults of this species are absolutely phenomenal and likely cause the majority of freshwater monster stories seen in North America today because they're so few of them left in many areas that people have never seen one before so when they do see one their imaginations get the best of them.

[@Nemo67577]

I am so glad you explained what happened to the other pond… PONDS !? I knew something had happened, but I had not investigated further. Thanks for bringing us, who were behind, up to speed.

[@billijeansizemore297]

Thankyou for sharing. Brazos grown. Im sorry about Trinity. Love watching all the gar.

[@moseskongi4746]

*You are much cuter and much beautifuller than brazos or trinity. Wood you date korea man? I only been in prison just once*

[@darcieclements4880]

It's more likely that after the one passed the other one poked at it. Unfortunately with these types of animals when they're very young like this there's a lot of developmental things that can go wrong very suddenly so you do see a spontaneous mortality rate. Pretty much any creature that grows a massive amount over its lifespan, or is produced with many many siblings is at especially high risk of sudden death. I've done necropsies on a lot of these cases in different species and it's ridiculous how long some of these animals can live without things like livers, but eventually it catches up with them.

[@martinphilip8998]

60 years ago my dad brought home an alligator gar. I would invite friends over to see it feed. We only had fish for a year but when we moved overseas my dad gave a local school the 20 tanks and fish he kept in them. Great video. Thanks. Glad he survived his escape attempt. Our walking catfish did this at every opportunity.

[@mark3249]

Awesome. I remember as a kid coming up on a canal that had dried during a drought. A bunch of alligator gar, some up to 5', had gathered in the remaining pool of water. Since they could gulp air, they were hanging on. But I don't know if any survived. I never went back. What an amazing creature. I also recall in the 70's and 80's fishing for big alligator gar in Offatt's Bayou off 61st in Galveston. We fished for them using gulf menhaden under a cork. It was catch and release, of course. Some of them jumped out of the water when hooked. Because of that, we started calling them garpon (because they jumped like a tarpon).

[@MintyZedGrimes]

This is insane to see. 5 years ago I had a horrible mental situation and started watching your gar videos on a whim to cope. I was just a teen back then. I'm doing considerably better now and I'm super happy to see how well Brazos is doing. Long live both you and he!

[@gyounce1]

That's awesome. I'm so happy for you!

[@jteal6251]

@@MintyZedGrimes Long live you, too! I hope you are doing better. I've always loved the peace and joy I found in these videos.

[@tracybowling1156]

I love Brazos' story! It's too bad that drought lasted so long! All the gar are so cool. But Brazos is my fav! And I am so glad that he survived jumping out of his fishy pool! I know you must feel relieved to have all the Gar in a place that you can control. ❤

[@jic1]

Gar can use their swim bladders as rudimentary lungs. Obviously being out of the water and allowed to dry out for so long is very dangerous, but gar have a much better chance of surviving a situation like that than most other fish.

[@jebVlogs556]

​@@jic1 Stone fish, some Synadontis and walking catfish can do similar feats 😅

[@macon8638]

@@jebVlogs556 What about lungfish… they have lungs 😝

[@nicholasgabriel9231]

Started watching you in college now I'm 27 and just got my first house😮 time flies man

[@OwnyOne]

In this economy?!

[@phillnyetheplaylistguy3759]

Did you win the lottery?

[@ScottParisi]

Incredible comments but congratulations no less.

[@squidious1662]

Do you have a backyard? Big enough for a pond?? lol

[@stay1080]

tutorial???

[@Spelling-ch2]

Wow, he grew like crazy Rip trinity

[@nssupremacy_4281]

long live trinity

[@MikhailTeplensky]

how did she die

[@wanicki3579]

​@MikhailTeplensky wrong place at the wrong time got caught in a drive by

[@MikhailTeplensky]

@@wanicki3579 she bangs?Where she FromK

[@wanicki3579]

@@MikhailTeplensky wherever will Smith fish from shark tale lives

[@schuffynohts]

It’s been 5 years already?!?

[@thierrykaslan2756]

That's fucking scary

[@EmphasisOnJ]

We are living in a simulation

[@phillnyetheplaylistguy3759]

It's crazy I was here before the gar, and it felt like the turtle era was only 3 years ago at most.

[@thierrykaslan2756]

@@EmphasisOnJ someone is fucking up the time. No way that was 5 years

[@microwavegum]

They grow up so fast 😊

[@lesterr4207]

this reminds me kinda of my tarantula i messed around got for 20 bucks as a tiny little speck. 9 years later, its still alive and massive.

[@foreverpainful]

i was given an elderly tarantula cus some family friends were moving, i knew he would die in my care but i was still sad when he passed, they had hand raised him from a little speck too. the owner said he was the size of maybe your thumb nail. His name was Esau :)

[@nekomataumbreon]

I can imagine, turantulas can live up to 25 years last I checked!

[@ThePrettiestCommenter]

Man, this was a tear jerker🥲❤️❤️ Watching those sweet little fish grow has been amazing. We love you, Brazos! You future kids and their kids will love him just as much as you!!!!

[@Kev5565]

I'm so glad you stuck with it through the hard times, this new pond looks awesome and a lot easier to maintain. I had a shakey start when I had a goldfish pond that soon developed into a Koi pond, I had bad advice and the conditions were not ideal which caused maintenance problems and fish health issues. I ended up making a bigger pond 6ft deep with good filters and pump which has done me well for the last twenty years, the Koi are happy and healthy and now a good way for me to chill out and forget my worries. Looking forward to watching your pond and inhabitants settle in and planting develope.

[@daleshelden8394]

Develop

[@asl6304]

It survived out of water for five hours and was even swarmed by ants? Wow is it resilient!

[@commissaryarrick9670]

gar can breathe air . They evolved that ability due to living in low oxygen environments

[@ReadRomans10]

​@@commissaryarrick9670Evolution "theory" is just that... We did not go from primordial goo to you by way of the zoo.

[@AlexanderBaxter-on5sr]

@@ReadRomans10 What does that mean? Do you need to put the reefer down??

[@kolbyking2315]

​@@ReadRomans10You sound like your dad put his goo in a zoo

[@SharkGoddesss]

@@ReadRomans10 do not talk to other people we are educated and not crazy over not believing science i bet u believe god created us

[@daynasanders1107]

You obviously live close to Houston as the Trinity, the Guadalupe, the Colorado and the Brazos are rivers in the area.

[@biddinge8898]

The relationship you have with these fish, is the stuff of dreams.

[@toddwise7644]

Excellent! It really is amazing that Brazos survived out of water that long. I know catfish can survive out of water for a while but didn't know that about gar. I caught a gar once in Lake Murray, S.C., but when I got him close to the bank he thrashed around and got off the hook. At first I thought I was snagged on something. A strong fish!

[@theComputerVoice]

Wow! I live about an hour from Lake Murray, didn't know we had gar here! That's really cool!

[@jic1]

Gar have vascularized swim bladders that act as rudimentary lungs, that's why you can see them gulping air in so many of these videos.

[@quetzalkro]

I absolutely LOVE to see content like this. These animals are amazing, but so many people take fish like these and try and keep them in small home aquariums for their entire lives. Getting to see these awesome animals getting the care they need and deserve is awesome. Keep it up.

[@darcieclements4880]

Yeah it's a shame, but it's a big deal that there are people who are caring for them into the larger sizes since the populations in the wild are still very messed up in most states.

[@ScottMason-ss8ww]

First time watching.. From the UK. I had no idea they were so long lived! Beautiful fish, I'm sure they'll love the new pond,

[@chl0wning]

LOVE BRAZOS! Been around since his day one! So glad to see he’s still doing well! ❤️

[@jackvancekirkland]

Much respect for the love and dedication you have for your pets. Majestic creatures, I wish them well!

[@TexasMom1776]

Wow, that was so good. Thank you for sharing memory lane with us. I have been following you since before you got the Gar…. so cool.!!! Looking forward to the turtles 🐢 joining

[@RADukura]

You are more responsible than most adults, thank you for your commitment to your pets.

[@flashgordon6510]

Phantom is gorgeous! I'm so impressed with everything you're doing for your gar. Hope to follow your adventures for many years to come!

[@jteal6251]

Ive enjoyed watching Brazos for quite some time.

[@thefightingplumber]

That is so cool!! I didn't know you had them from thìs small. Brazos is lucky to have such a caring owner! You've done so much for them, put in all the energy, money and effort as you did, amazing. Glad they are in a beautiful and safe pond again. Thank for this wonderfull story and video!!

[@mikek1402]

So many moves, however always caring about his gar....awesome fishkeeper!!

[@CherryAnime203]

It’s amazing to see how they started from a little fish tank to a big garden pond!

[@luisjuniorricardo9253]

It's beautiful how much effort you have put into caring for and feeding these alligator gars. The most incredible thing is not how much they have grown so far but how much they still have to grow to be over 2 meters. I remember that the first time I heard about these fish was when I was watching Jeremy Wade's River Monsters several years ago. Anyway, thank you for taking care of these little animals. I send you greetings from Cuba🇨🇺.

[@Reheheh]

13:34 90 years old shocked me ._.

[@seresamgala8125]

You're so incredibly gentle with your garfriends, and, it would seem that they fully trust you as their guardian. I too wish I could have property to be able to plant things and to have a pond and swimming area! Nicely done🙏❤️😇

[@kevin110129]

I remember that finger bitten video, and everybody in the comment said they were not surprised at all😂 Can't wait to see more creatures in the new pond.

[@lsswappedcessna]

honestly the bite looked accidental.

[@zenny1258]

Wow, you just transported me back to 2019, my favourite year! I remembered the video of baby Brazos as if it all happened yesterday! Time really has flown. Thank you for being such an amazing human being for all the animals around you and hope to watch many more of your adventures! Rest in peace Trinity 😔

[@Uosw]

you made me have a new appreciation for alligator gar. they’re so underrated and under appreciated. i remember when brazos was in a tiny little tank all those years ago. thank you so much for sharing your love for alligator gar

[@mrb6088]

They're such amazing fish, it's really sad how they've been treated in the past and that their range has shrunk so much in America. Hopefully more places protect them and stop Bow fishing for them instead only allowing catch and release with rod and reel.

[@Chrisjst]

I loved watching this video. You really need to be commended for the care, time, and money you have spent to have these gar. What a wonderful way to spend your time and money on something you have loved since a child. Very well done sir. Hope you are able to continue to enjoy your gar and them to continue to enjoy their lives for many more decades. I had a giant red tail gourami that I felt the same way about. I enjoyed her and gave her the best life for 14 years. It was very much worth every minute and dollar I spent on her.

[@Q_z_]

Man, time definitely flies. It still feels like way back when we were coming up with names for every new turtle in the pond and watching slo mo bass blowouts

[@mirdraco]

Beautiful fishes and amazing owner. I pray for many years of fun ahead.

[@abarekilla]

Those ducks were cool. 5 yrs just flew by!

[@Skittlez998]

Dude you’re inspiring. I wish more people respected animals as much as you do.

[@KtWaffles]

Love this so so much, I can’t believe how many years it has been!❤ I almost got a little emotional at the end you really found the best possible home for them!

[@gdlomax]

I think I fell in love lol I've got a 12 years old Iguana and sometimes I look back how time passed so fast, feels like yesterday when he came to my house and I didn't expect we were gonna be together this long. Amazing video, best wishes for you and Brazos

[@Ant-The-Titan]

Wow, five years. I’ve been watching the entire journey. I love it. Congratulations on five years and I hope to see many more with you and the little ones.

[@sylveadiff2813]

I stumbled into some of your early videos with just the first two years ago. What a journey it's been! I'm glad to hear most of them are doing alright these days, and thank you for not giving up on them. Pet large fish is an unattainable dream for a lot of people, and the ones who manage it rarely do this well at it, but I'm sure you already know that.

[@Kicking-m4c]

Great video, God bless from Australia 🇦🇺🇳🇿🇮🇱🇨🇦🇺🇲🇬🇧📜🙏🏻⛪🗡️⚔️🛡️✊🏻💪🏻👍🏻👌🏻🎣🏇🏻

[@roberttaylor5995]

I really enjoyed that. Nearly all of those gar trust you implicitly, except the newbie Phantom. You could tell by the body language of the fish. In time I am sure you will win that one over as well. They are truly beautiful fishes and have sleeker lines than a torpedo (like an old blue print for the modern day pike and muskie). For such a sleek, stealthy fish, its hard to believe they are a pre-historic species.

[@kitsunick5696]

What a ride it’s been. Wishing the best for the gar gang.

[@its_not_it_apostrophe_s]

Great recap for those new to the channel and existing subscribers who just can't get enough!

[@drew_III]

Thanks for uploading again. your content is some of my favorite on the site

[@Pure-Minty]

That's a great video. Beautiful pets. Many thanks for sharing. 😊

[@deanalbertson7203]

When you need a bulldozer to build a fish tank, you know you have some big fish.

[@erboy3365]

Glad you gave them a great home... those are really nice fishes. Thumbs UP for you

[@sammorrow8420]

I have been watching since before the 2 pond move. Its really cool to see the whole history.❤

[@markmccafferty6515]

Excellent. I loved that. I hope they're doing great

[@TheElusiveReality]

i love how gentle you are with them, it's so sweet

[@MarcExiled]

Awesome video brother! It’s amazing how fish have their own personalities! Makes me want a alligator gar now lol

[@thecarolinashreds196]

Pretty cool brother. They still have plenty of growing to do. When I lived in Jacksonville Florida my apartment was on a branch of the St.Johns river. I seen some monster alligator gar cruising around. 5 maybe 6 feet long. Big boys with big teeth.

[@darcieclements4880]

Yeah but those big guys still eat little fish which is fascinating. We don't even know how big this species can get because of the events that happened in the past with hysteria. I do know that there have been cases in the 8 ft range though.

[@HeShoeTooBig]

It's crazy to think that your grandkids could be taking care of Brazos and the others when they're well into their adulthoods lol

[@nml5536]

Such a great pet owner, well done.

[@scotthultin7769]

5 👍's up fish whisperer thank you for sharing 🤗

[@SimonJokes]

Amazing fish, video and a great passion of yours! Congratulations!

[@2feathers911]

Very well put together video, i enjoyed it, thank you! Now lets see more turtles eat.

[@Mediocre00Rebel]

So awesome! Congratulations!

[@photon4280]

Your vids bring me so much joy

[@billy9995]

Man much respect to you for loving them fish and giving them a great life....hope yall get a lifetime together

[@Animalproductions1234]

Man Kyle I’ve watched those videos in 2020 and now I am just so generous to see your fish become adults in the future.

[@Animalproductions1234]

And I watched your gar videos all the time on my iphone, laptop even on my tv!

[@DimiArt]

yo that's crazy, when he said 5 years ago i was thinking 2015, crazy to think Covid happened almost 5 years ago now

[@Animalproductions1234]

@@DimiArt it was actually 2020.

[@DimiArt]

@@Animalproductions1234 did you understand my comment?

[@Animalproductions1234]

@@DimiArt yes.

[@sheenamoore3938]

First time watching today. Very interesting watch as i sip me cuppa in the UK.Loved this.

[@Krafterr4]

Growing big fish is so rewarding.

[@adamg7984]

A very interesting watch and fun! I hope Brazos and all the rest do manage to outlive you! That would be awesome. You really show how much you care about them which is great. I never enjoy the part of feeding live animals to other animals but I get it. I just wish people didn't show that part lol, it's just not something I think should be admired. But everything about this video and these ancient fish is awesome and they're beautiful beings. Here's to a long, long life for all the gar! And sincerely, good job for being a good pet owner. There are a lot of fish owners who are absolutely terrible to their fish and don't even know it. You really gave these gar a fulfilling life to the best of your ability. They couldn't be more lucky.

[@nunyabees4150]

Imagine the things a fish sees in 90 years! This was great and my friend has some gar that I love to watch. Eels are fun too! Those long slender bodies are so cool to watch hunt. They literally shoot like a dart lol. Thanks for the knowledge and phantom is beautiful! Is that an albino?

[@5022freedom]

Cool man. Been a while since i watched but enjoyed seeing the whole story

[@thenamesianna]

Alligator gars are such beautiful and fascinating creatures I'm glad you took good care of yours even into adulthood instead of what most do which is just release them when they outgrow their tank.

[@rrogers2370]

This guy is loaded

[@jettstorm2253]

Brazos is a resiliant little bugger! I'm glad he has a place to spend the rest of his life now.

[@satoril928]

I had one - easily one of the coolest fish I had

[@greatbriton8425]

Very well made video but I like even more how gentle you are with them. Thank you.

[@peaceworld5393]

Wow 5 years already? I remember when you got them.

[@nickrider5220]

Great story about these amazing fish, they're a true American icon 👍🏻

[@gregslaughter9662]

I forgot how small he used to be. Such a cool fish

[@imdbtruth]

I love their Texas river inspired names, and that Texas flag aquarium was so beautiful 😍 I'm so happy for you that you've been able to create such a beautiful backyard pond!

[@killagilla24]

Found Brazus 30ft away in his garage. Sounds like after trinity, Brazus was trying to finish the job.

[@janetcindy8016]

5 years!! I remember when he was a little minnow!! Time flies!! You are a good dad.

[@cherylcooper2838]

I used to watch you feed the turtles!

[@AmirRavaille-jk3pu]

What an amazing journey. Well done

[@oddztheweirdo]

Time goes by so fast 😭😭❤

[@AquaJoyClub]

Awww, it used to be such an itty bitty baby! Wow, well done! 👏👏👏

[@Nando75549]

I legit never knew big an alligator gar can get. It's like they're competing againt lobsters.

[@Z5uixCiz]

The biggest one was 700+ pounds

[@daleshelden8394]

Against

[@paullevesque3383]

I feel so happy watching this one and hearing your journey! I've been watching since about 4 years ago and i remember all about the old ponds, the failed two ponds (That the bird ravaged), and the second failed pond (That got ravaged by drought). those were heartbreaking not gonna lie Here's to the new pond! And here's to more of Brazos!

[@soniaholar9416]

Brazos is my king

[@suraj_danu]

Man i used to watch your videos back when you fed turtles and catfishes and made some popsicles from shad lmao,I was in a small child back then now I'm in a college haha. Lots of memories flooding in and damn brazos grew really fast.

[@suraj_danu]

He is a big boi now haha

[@StanleySophana]

Crazy that it's already been 5 years

[@screenshotsinmotion7763]

This really interesting! You really love those fish. Thanks for sharing all your hard work.

[@mrh8353]

what an absolute unit! such beautiful and fascinating creatures!

[@dare2554]

Awesome life journey of your alligator gar and you answered so many of our questions about your past ponds in this video and why you moved them. Would love to hear more about how you acquired this property and the other creatures which will be moving in there

[@brycehampton7649]

It has been five years and I was worried how long that took for making the videos. How cool were they and even the white Allegar gar, he is beautiful and how white he is