Alligator Gar: 100 Million Years Old and Still Kicking

As humans, we like to think we run the show here on planet Earth. But in the grand scheme of things, our legacy is laughably short compared to those of other species. The prehistoric-looking Atractosteus spatula, for example, otherwise known as the alligator gar, is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil." And for good reason: Scientists can trace this unique looking fish back 100 million years.

"The alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, is the largest of the seven living species of gar," said Robert H. Robins, collection manager in the Division of Ichthyology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, when we talked to him in 2019. "Besides its massive adult size, it can be distinguished from other gar by two rows of teeth in the upper jaw versus one, and a head that when measured length versus width, is broader than most other gar."

And talk about massive — in the first week of May 2022, a Texas man pulled in an alligator gar of truly monstrous proportions. According to LiveScience, YouTuber, educator and conservationist Payton Moore caught the huge fish, which was 8 feet (2.5 meters) long and weighed an estimated 300 pounds (136 kilograms). In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Moore said, "It felt like somebody's car had just started up and was rolling out of the driveway, and I’m hanging on to the end of it."

Moore released the gar back into the bayou after measuring it and uploaded a video of it to his channel, WILD LIFE, on May 7. But he didn't seek official certification and the fish wasn't weighed, so his massive catch isn't eligible for the record books. The record for the largest alligator gar ever caught in Texas still stands with the beast hauled into a boat in 1953, which weighed 302 pounds (137 kilograms), according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Alligator Gar Have No Relation to Alligators

If you're not a fishing fanatic, here's a little background on the gar species (plural can be "gar" or "gars"): These freshwater fish are currently only found in North America, from Montana to southern Quebec to Costa Rica, but historically, alligator gars apparently swam in European, African, South Asian and South American waters, according to fossil records. Also called garpikes, gar are named for the Anglo-Saxon term for spear, and the name is fitting since their long, tubular bodies are covered in a protective armor of hard, diamond-shaped scales, and their snouts are typically long and elongated.

The alligator gar is a bit different, though — its signature facial structure includes a short, wide, shovel-shaped bill that makes it stand out amongst its fellow gar (and explains the reptilian name). Like other types of gar, these guys can be pretty big, weighing up to 350 pounds (159 kilograms) and measuring more than 10 feet (3 meters) in length. Average-sized adults come in at a more moderate 100 to 160 pounds (45 to 73 kilograms) and 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 2 meters) in length.

The alligator gar's distinctive dark olive-brown skin is one of the features that has historically made the animal a hot commodity for humans. The thick, overlapping scales (known as ganoid scales) have been used to make jewelry and tools, as well as a whole host of leather products, and the skin oil has been used as an insect repellent.

Alligator gars eat blue crabs, turtles, small mammals and waterfowl. They have few natural predators because of their size. Gar are one of the largest freshwater fishes in North America.

Do Alligator Gar Bite?

Though an alligator gar will go berserk if threatened and can definitely seem dangerous, there has never been a verified attack on a human by an alligator gar, even though they do have needle-sharp teeth.

According to Robins, people have been fishing for alligator gar for centuries — potentially longer. "The reasons for doing so vary," he said. "In my state, Florida, no one may take an alligator gar without a special permit and such permits are limited to scientific research or species management work only. This is sound management: Alligator gar are slow growing and slow to reach sexual maturity. They aggregate and spawn in specialized habitat. All of this makes them vulnerable to overfishing/environmental degradation."

Alligator Gar Are Edible, But Not Tasty

While experienced fishermen may enjoy the thrill of pursuing and catching the distinctive species, no one's exactly clamoring to cook them for dinner. The alligator gar is technically edible, but not a great meal option for a couple of reasons. "The eggs of all gar are toxic to eat and the flesh is poor quality," Robins said. "In addition, all gars have a thick armor-like covering of ganoid scales over their entire body. It would be very, very difficult to process a gar and for the aforementioned reasons, not a good idea or in most cases, worth the effort."

If fish enthusiasts aren't seeking out alligator gar for suppertime, then could they at least keep the catch of the day for company? "I have seen gar for sale as pets, including fantastic color varieties, but all gar get at least close to a meter (3.2 feet) in length and are too much for all but large public aquaria," Robins said. So, unless you have a private pool reserved just for giant fish, you're probably unlikely to become the proud long-term owner of an alligator gar.

Part of the reason alligator gar have been on the receiving end of overfishing may be due to a now debunked theory that the animal was using its two rows of sharp teeth to prey on a variety of other fish that humans wanted for themselves. And while alligator gars do eat fellow fish for food, they're not as likely to go after game fish, and are happy eating a whole lot of other things like small mammals, waterfowl, insects and crustaceans.

As for the fish alligator gars do eat, they're unlikely to eat enough to threaten the fishing ecosystem. "All gars are predatory," Robins said. "What alligator gar feed on is likely to vary tremendously with life stage. Tiny larvae and juveniles are likely to feed on appropriately sized invertebrates or small fish, and larger gar are likely to feed on fishes and other vertebrates."

Now That's Interesting

Alligator gar are just one example of the resilient species that have fascinated experts for centuries. "The seven living species of gar are remnants of an ancient division of fishes that date to the early cretaceous period (about 118 million years ago)," Robins said. "Five of the living species are native to eastern North America, and one each to Central America and Cuba. They are really quite special fishes with an amazingly successful body plan and biology that has really stood the test of time."