Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula)

   

Alligator Gar Sign in Underwater World Sentosa, Singapore                  

   The Alligator Gars found in modern society can only mostly be found in the Central and North American regions. Out of the seven known species of gars alive today, alligator gars are the largest. Alligator Gars are freshwater giants but are also known to have been able to survive in saltwater environments. They can mostly be found in the bayous, rivers and estuaries along the coasts of the Central and North American region.
   Attacks on humans are very rare and they rarely come hunting for human flesh. Alligator Gars are known to prey on other fishes but some have been known to target other animals such as turtles and carrion. Their young are especially vulnerable to attacks from larger predators however, the adult gars are usually the apex predators.
   However, due to construction of dams, the rivers for gars to inhabit have been cut off form each other, severely disrupting the gars way of life and thus dwindle their populations by a significant amount. Gars are also known to be targeted by many fishers who hunt them for sport.

The largest of all the gars, this megafish earns its name with a wide, crocodilian head and rows of sharp teeth.

Photograph courtesy Zeb Hogan

Did you know?

The alligator gar has become something of an Internet celebrity. Tales and photos of these enormous, fierce-looking fish are widely circulated—and sometimes dismissed as hoaxes.

Links: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/alligator-gar/