Alligator gar: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the alligator gar lives – recorded in 1 country, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Atractosteus spatula
Group	Bony fish
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	1 country
Continents	North America
Class	Ray-finned fish
Order	Lepisosteiformes
Family	Lepisosteidae

Where does the alligator gar live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the alligator gar in 1 country or territory across North America.

United States

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the alligator gar endangered?

The alligator gar’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the alligator gar?

The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a ray-finned fish in the order Lepisosteiformes and the family Lepisosteidae, genus Atractosteus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the alligator gar

The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is a euryhaline ray-finned fish in the clade Ginglymodi of the infraclass Holostei , being most closely related to the bowfins. It is the largest species in the gar family (Lepisosteidae), and is among the largest freshwater fishes in North America. The fossil record traces its group's existence back to the Early Cretaceous over 100 million years ago. Gars are often referred to as "primitive fishes" or "living fossils", because they have retained some morphological characteristics of their early ancestors, such as a spiral valve intestine, which is also common to the digestive system of sharks, and the ability to breathe in both air and water. Their common name was derived from their resemblance to the American alligator, particularly their broad snouts and long, sharp teeth. It is suggested that an alligator gar can grow up to 10 ft (3.0 m) in length.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Alligator gar (revision 1379311721), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q522735 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).