![]() ![]() There have also been efforts to reintroduce the alligator gar to some U.S. The fish is protected by law in parts of its range. In fact, the alligator gar itself has become a popular target fish for anglers, especially bowfishers, which is of concern to some conservationists. Biologists have shown that the species presents no threat to game fish. In recent years, however, the alligator gar’s reputation has improved and the fish has undergone something of an image makeover. Resource managers commonly recommending culling them, and throughout the 20th century the alligator gar numbers plummeted, with only Texas and Louisiana maintaining stable populations. In the past, the gars developed a bad, but largely undeserved reputation as “trash fish” among anglers who believed they damaged nets and devoured game fish. But most gators stay in the 6 foot range. A typical male alligator has the potential of growing up to a length of 15 feet, and about 500 lbs. ![]() Then a gators growth slows down and stops at about 20 years old. The toxicity of gar eggs serves as a defense mechanism against predators such as crustaceans.Īlligator gars have few natural predators, though alligators have been known to attack them, and young fish are preyed upon by other species.Īdult alligator gars primarily prey on fish, but they are opportunistic feeders who also eat blue crabs, small turtles, waterfowl or other birds, and small mammals. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) grows about 1 foot per year for the first 4-6 years. They can pose a passive danger, though: The fish’s eggs are poisonous to humans if ingested. DefensesĪlthough they may look ferocious, alligator gars pose no threat to humans and there are no known attacks on people. The largest of seven known gar species, this megafish has a torpedo-shaped body in olive brown and comes armored with glistening scales. It may obtain as much as 70 percent of the oxygen it needs from the atmosphere. It also allows the fish to gulp air to “breathe” in waters with low oxygen. The fish’s thick, spongy, and highly vascular air bladder behaves like a lung to aerate the alligator gar’s blood. Today alligator gars are known only to live in the lower Mississippi River Valley, from Oklahoma to the west, Arkansas to the north, Texas and portions of Mexico to the south, and east to Florida.Īlligator gars are able to tolerate brackish and even salt water, but they prefer the sluggish pools and backwaters of large rivers, swamps, bayous, and lakes. Alligator gars were historically found throughout the Mississippi River Valley and may have even existed as far north as Iowa and as far west as Kansas and Nebraska. Today, however, gars live only in North and Central America. The prehistoric relatives of the species first appeared 157 million years ago and inhabited many parts of the world. (The white sturgeon is often considered North America’s largest freshwater fish, but it spends substantial time in salt water.) Range and habitat This makes it the largest fish species in North America that spends almost all its time in freshwater. It can grow up to 10 feet long, and historical reports suggest it may grow to weigh nearly 350 pounds. The largest of seven known gar species, this megafish has a torpedo-shaped body in olive brown and comes armored with glistening scales. Its own diet consists primarily of benthic crustaceans and bottom fauna.The alligator gar bears no relation to alligators, but with its wide, crocodilian head and razor-sharp teeth, it’s easy to see how this giant fish got its name. The Alligatorfish is preyed on by the Atlantic halibut ( Hippoglossus hippoglossus) and the Pacific halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis). Males can reach a maximum total length of 22 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 14.2 cm. It prefers a temperature range of -1.07 to 2.52 ☌. It dwells at a depth range of 0–695 metres, most often around 60–150 m, and inhabits sand and mud bottoms mostly on the lower continental shelf all year. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling fish which is known from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, including western Greenland Labrador, Canada and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. It was described by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1786. The alligatorfish ( Aspidophoroides monopterygius), also known commonly as the Aleutian alligatorfish and the Atlantic alligatorfish, is a fish in the family Agonidae. Aspidophoroides borealis Valenciennes, 1841.Aspidophoroides groenlandicus Valenciennes, 1840.Aspidophoroides tranquebar Lacépède, 1801. ![]()
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