What is "alligator gar"

Alligator \Al"li*ga`tor\, n. [Sp. el lagarto the lizard (el lagarto de Indias, the cayman or American crocodile), fr. L. lacertus, lacerta, lizard. See Lizard.]

1. (Zo["o]l.) A large carnivorous reptile of the Crocodile family, peculiar to America. It has a shorter and broader snout than the crocodile, and the large teeth of the lower jaw shut into pits in the upper jaw, which has no marginal notches. Besides the common species of the southern United States, there are allied species in South America.

2. (Mech.) Any machine with strong jaws, one of which opens like the movable jaw of an alligator; as,

   1. (Metal Working) a form of squeezer for the puddle ball;

   2. (Mining) a rock breaker;

   3. (Printing) a kind of job press, called also alligator press.

      Alligator apple (Bot.), the fruit of the Anona palustris, a West Indian tree. It is said to be narcotic in its properties.
      --Loudon.

      Alligator fish (Zo["o]l.), a marine fish of northwestern America ( Podothecus acipenserinus).

      Alligator gar (Zo["o]l.), one of the gar pikes ( Lepidosteus spatula) found in the southern rivers of the United States. The name is also applied to other species of gar pikes.

      Alligator pear (Bot.), a corruption of Avocado pear. See Avocado.

      Alligator snapper, Alligator tortoise, Alligator turtle (Zo["o]l.), a very large and voracious turtle ( Macrochelys lacertina) inhabiting the rivers of the southern United States. It sometimes reaches the weight of two hundred pounds. Unlike the common snapping turtle, to which the name is sometimes erroneously applied, it has a scaly head and many small scales beneath the tail. This name is sometimes given to other turtles, as to species of Trionyx.

      Alligator wood, the timber of a tree of the West Indies ( Guarea Swartzii).

n. A species, (taxlink Atractosteus spatula species noshow=1), of gar native to the US, known for its extremely large (in excess of 200 lbs) size.

Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) are ray-finned euryhaline fish related to bowfin in the infraclass Holostei (ho'-las-te-i). The fossil record traces their existence to the Early Cretaceous over a hundred million years ago. They are the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fishes in North America. Gars are often referred to as " primitive fishes", or " living fossils" because they have retained some morphological characters of their earliest ancestors, such as a spiral valve intestine which is also common to the digestive system of sharks, and they can breathe both air and water. Their common name was derived from their resemblance to American alligator, particularly their broad snout and long sharp teeth. Anecdotal evidence in several scientific reports suggest that an alligator gar can grow up to in length and weigh as much as ; however in 2011 the largest alligator gar ever caught and officially recorded was long, weighed , and was around the girth.

The body of an alligator gar is torpedo shaped, usually brown or olive fading to a lighter gray or yellow ventral surface. Their scales are not like the scales of other fishes; rather, they have ganoid scales which are hard, enamel-like, diamond-shaped scales, often with serrated edges. Ganoid scales are nearly impenetrable and have served the fish well as protection against predation. Unlike other gar species, the upper jaw of an alligator gar has a dual row of large sharp teeth which are used to impale and hold prey. Alligator gar are stalking, ambush predators, primarily piscivores, but they will also ambush and eat water fowl and small mammals they find floating on the water's surface.

Populations of alligator gar have been extirpated from much of their historic range as a result of habitat destruction, indiscriminate culling, and unrestricted harvests. Populations are now located primarily in the southern portions of the United States extending into Mexico. They are considered euryhaline because they can adapt to varying salinities ranging from freshwater lakes and swamps to brackish marshes, estuaries, and bays along the Gulf of Mexico.

For nearly a half-century, alligator gar were considered "trash fish", or a "nuisance species" detrimental to sport fisheries; therefore, were targeted for elimination by state and federal authorities in the United States. The 1980s brought a better understanding of the ecological balance necessary to sustain an ecosystem, and eventually an awareness that alligator gar were no less important than any other living organism in the ecosystems they inhabit. Over time, alligator gar were afforded some protection by state and federal resource agencies. They are also protected under the Lacey Act which makes it illegal to transport certain species of fish in interstate commerce when in violation of state law or regulation. Several state and federal resource agencies are monitoring populations in the wild, and have initiated outreach programs to educate the public. Alligator gar are being cultured in ponds, pools, raceways and tanks by federal hatcheries for mitigation stocking, by universities for research purposes, and in Mexico for consumption.