Worth their weight in gold as objects of scientific interest, the gold gar is a rare specimen. They represent an abnormal color phase that can show up in any population. The pictures below show a gar from Florida’s Everglades. Above is a gold gar found in Arkansas’ Post Lake. These pictures show the range of color possible in gold gar from the goldfish-orange to the vibrant yellow.

The Official GASS Science Advisor, Jamie Ladonski writes:

It is the occurrence of excessive yellow pigment known as xanthochromatism. This is similar to melanism (excess dark pigments), erythrism (excess red pigments), and even albinism (when genetically based). These phenomena are not restricted to gars, or even fishes, but can occur in a variety of animals (I have seen blue crayfish in the wild). This is simply a basic genetic mutation and most likely not related to any environmental change (like pollution).