Alligator Gar Details

• Water Type: freshwater
• Latin Name: Atractosteus spatula
• Common Names: gator gar, gar
• World Record: Kenny Williams 2011, 237lbs, Lake Chotard, Mississippi
• Last Modified By: cbanff on 06/18/14 08:19 PM
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The alligator gar — an ancient fish that has existed for 100 million years — roams the rivers, streams and bayous of the southeastern United States. It gets its name from its alligator-like snout and its double row of dagger sharp teeth. Unlike most of its close relatives, the alligator gar can breathe air and survive above water for up to two hours. Its body is covered in an armor plating of diamond-shaped, enamel-coated ganoid scales, and it's been said that this shining armor can produce sparks when struck by an axe.

The alligator gar stands accused of vicious human attacks, most notably at Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. A New Orleans newspaper once published an article contending that the alligator gar is more dangerous to human life than the "man-eater shark." But little evidence exists to suggest that this fish is actually aggressive towards humans, raising the question of whether the alligator gar has been wrongly accused of attacks perpetrated by an animal with a real track record of violence — the American alligator.

Oklahoma,Texas,Arkansas and Louisiana allow regulated sport fishing of the alligator gar. The alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, is a primitive ray-finned fish. Its also referred to as the gator gar. Unlike other gars, the mature alligator gar possesses a dual row of large teeth in the upper jaw. It is these remarkably alligator-like teeth which gives it its name. The dorsal surface of the alligator gar is a brown or olive-color, while the ventral surface tends to be a lighter color. Their scales are diamond-shaped and interlocking (ganoid) and are sometimes used by Native Americans for jewelry.

Also unlike other gars, the alligator gar is capable of breathing air and can survive up to two hours above water.

The alligator gar is the largest species of gar and is the largest exclusively freshwater fish in North America. It can be as long as eight to twelve feet and often weighs at least 100 pounds at maturity. The current world record alligator gar weighed 279 pounds and was caught in the Rio Grande River in 1951. Even larger alligator gars — over 300 pounds