Alligator gar

Atractosteus spatula · The alligator gar is a huge, armored freshwater fish with a broad snout and sharp teeth, living mainly in the southern United States and Mexico.

Also called Gator gar.

Alligator gar
Photo: Raf24~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 4.0
Alligator gar
Photo: Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0
Alligator gar
Photo: Holly Cheng, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderLepisosteiformes
FamilyLepisosteidae
GenusAtractosteus
SpeciesAtractosteus spatula

Where it lives

Rivers, bayous and lakes of the lower Mississippi basin and Gulf Coast.

Fun facts

  • Alligator gar can gulp air at the surface, because their swim bladder works like a lung alongside their gills.
  • Thanks to that air-breathing trick, alligator gar can live in stagnant, low-oxygen water where most other fish would suffocate.
  • Alligator gar ambush prey by floating just below the surface, then lunge and impale it on their double rows of sharp teeth.
  • Their bright red eggs are poisonous to humans if eaten.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).