Alligator Gar

freshwater fish · living fossil · North America · ancient survivor

Looks like an alligator. The alligator gar got its name because it looks so much like an American alligator, especially with its wide, flat snout and long sharp teeth that stick out from its jaw.

Breathes air and water. Unlike most fish that only use gills, alligator gars can gulp air from above the water's surface to breathe, which helps them survive in swampy places where water doesn't have much oxygen.

Truly enormous. An adult alligator gar can grow up to 10 feet long, making it the biggest fish in the entire gar family and one of the largest freshwater fish in North America.

Living fossil. Alligator gars have stayed almost the same for over 100 million years since the time of dinosaurs, keeping ancient features like a spiral valve intestine that sharks also have.

Ancient fish group. Alligator gars belong to a super old group of fish called Ginglymodi that has barely changed since the Early Cretaceous period, making them windows into what ancient fish were like.