Alligator Gar
Atractosteus spatula
About This Fish

The Alligator Gar is found in Gulf Coast drainages from Mexico to Florida and extending north to Illinois and Ohio. They are found in pools and backwaters of rivers and bayous. The largest freshwater fish of Eastern North America, Alligator Gars reach 12 feet in length! As the common name suggests, they have a short and broad snout similar to an alligator. They are the only gar with two rows of large teeth on their upper jaw.

Literature

Daugherty, D.J., J.W. Schlechte, and D.L. McDonald. 2018. Alligator Gars in Texas coastal bays: long term trends and environmental influences. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 653-664. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tafs.10041

McDonald, D.L., J.W. Schlechte, and D.J. Daugherty. 2018. Comparison of two biometric methods for nonlethal sex determination of Alligator Gars. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 711-715 https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tafs.10046

Fleming, P.B., D.J. Daugherty, N.G. Smith, and R.K. Betsill. 2018. Efficacy of low cost, side scan sonar for surveying Alligator Gars. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 696-703. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tafs.10047

Robertson, C.R., K. Aziz, D.L. Buckmeier, N.G. Smith, and N. Raphelt. 2018. Development of a flow specific floodplain inundation model to assess Alligator Gar recruitment success. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 674-686. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tafs.10045

Smith, N.G., D.J. Daugherty, J.W. Schlechte, and D.L. Buckmeier. 2018. Modeling the responses of Alligator Gar populations to harvest under various length based regulations: implications for conservation and management. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 147(4), 665-673. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/tafs.10040

van der Most, M., and P.F. Hudson. 2018. The influence of floodplain geomorphology and hydrologic connectivity on alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) habitat along the embanked floodplain of the Lower Mississippi River. Geomorphology, 302, 62-75. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320229516_The_influence_of_floodplain_geomorphology_and_hydrologic_connectivity_on_alligator_gar_Atractosteus_spatula_habitat_along_the_embanked_floodplain_of_the_Lower_Mississippi_River

Allen, P.J., A. Haukenes, and S.E. Lochmann. 2017. Similarity of osmoregulatory capacity in coastal and inland alligator gar. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 209, 16-24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643317300855

Bohn, S., B.R. Kreiser, D.J. Daugherty, and K.A. Bodine. 2017. Natural hybridization of lepisosteids: implications for managing the Alligator Gar. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 37(2), 405-413. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02755947.2016.1265030

Buckmeier, D.L., N.G. Smith, D.J. Daugherty, and D.L. Bennett. 2017. Reproductive ecology of Alligator Gar: identification of environmental drivers of recruitment success. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 4, 8-17. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nathan_Smith23/publication/316609394_Reproductive_Ecology_of_Alligator_Gar_Identification_of_Environmental_Drivers_of_Recruitment_Success/links/59078ebea6fdccd580dcf020/Reproductive-Ecology-of-Alligator-Gar-Identification-of-Environmental-Drivers-of-Recruitment-Success.pdf

Daugherty, D.J., K.L. Pangle, W. Karel, F. Baker, C.R. Robertson, D.L. Buckmeier, N.G. Smith, and N. Boyd. 2017. Population structure of Alligator Gar in a Gulf Coast river: insights from otolith microchemistry and genetic analyses. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 37(2), 337-348. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02755947.2016.1269029

Kluender, E.R., R. Adams, and L. Lewis. 2017. Seasonal habitat use of alligator gar in a river–floodplain ecosystem at multiple spatial scales. Ecology of freshwater fish, 26(2), 233-246. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eff.12270"


Sherman, V.R., H. Quan, W. Yang, R.O. Ritchie, and M.A. Meyers. 2017. A comparative study of piscine defense: The scales of Arapaima gigas, Latimeria chalumnae and Atractosteus spatula. Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 73, 1-16. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751616116303502

Fernando, A.V., S.E. Lochmann, and A.H. Haukenes. 2016. Critical thermal maxima of juvenile alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula, Lacépède, 1803) from three Mississippi drainage populations acclimated to three temperatures. Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 32(4), 701-705. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jai.13047

Long, J.M., and R.A. Snow. 2016. Ontogenetic development of otoliths in alligator gar. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 145(3), 537-544. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00028487.2015.1135189

Omar-Ali, A., W. Baumgartner, P.J. Allen, and L. Petrie-Hanson. 2016. Fine Structure of the Gas Bladder of Alligator Gar, Atractosteus spatula. International Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Science, 1, 8. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lora_Petrie-Hanson/publication/312134203_Fine_Structure_of_the_Gas_Bladder_of_Alligator_Gar_Atractosteus_spatula/links/5a0ca1ff0f7e9b9e33a9d4eb/Fine-Structure-of-the-Gas-Bladder-of-Alligator-Gar-Atractosteus-spatula.pdf

Schlechte, J.W., K.A. Bodine, D.J. Daugherty, and G.R. Binion. 2016. Size selectivity of multifilament gill nets for sampling Alligator Gar: modeling the effects on population metrics. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 36(3), 630-638. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02755947.2016.1152331

Sherman, V.R., N.A. Yaraghi, D. Kisailus, and M.A. Meyers. 2016. Microstructural and geometric influences in the protective scales of Atractosteus spatula. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 13(125), 20160595. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2016.0595

Snow, R.A., and J.M. Long. 2016. Effects of a growth check on daily age estimates of age-0 Alligator Gar. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 3, 6-10. https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70193145

Snow, R.A., and J.M. Long. 2016. Estimating Spawning Times of Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Lake Texoma, Oklahoma. In Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science (Vol. 95). http://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/OAS/article/download/6868/6334

Bennett, D.L., R.A. Ott, and C.C. Bonds. 2015. Surveys of Texas bow anglers, with implications for managing Alligator Gar. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2, 8-14. http://www.seafwa.org/02%20Bennett%20et%20al%208-14.pdf

Binion, G.R., D.J. Daugherty, and K.A. Bodine. 2015. Population dynamics of alligator gar in Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas: implications for management. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2, 57-63. http://www.seafwa.org/09%20Binion%20et%20al%2057-63.pdf

Bodine, K.A., D.J. Daugherty, J.W. Schlechte, and G.R. Binion. 2015. A strategy for increasing gill-net catch rates and minimizing sampling mortality of Alligator Gars. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 35(3), 611-615. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02755947.2015.1017122

Castillo, S., K. Bollfrass, R. Mendoza, Q. Fontenot, J.P. Lazo, C. Aguilera, and A. Ferrara. 2015. Stimulatory effect of thyroid hormones improves larval development and reproductive performance in alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) and spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus). Aquaculture research, 46(9), 2079-2091. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/are.12363

Felterman, M.A. 2015. Population dynamics, reproductive biology, and diet of alligator gar Atractosteus spatula in Terrebonne Estuary and Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge (Doctoral dissertation, Master’s Thesis. Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana). https://www.nicholls.edu/bayousphere-new/files/2015/08/MF_Thesis_final.pdf

González, C.A., J. Cruz, and R.M. Alfaro. 2015. Physiological response of alligator gar juveniles (Atractosteus spatula) exposed to sub-lethal doses of pollutants. Fish physiology and biochemistry, 41(4), 1015-1027. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10695-015-0066-5

Hodo, W.D. 2015. Investigation of the inherent chemical, structural, and mechanical attributes of bio-engineered composites found in nature: Alligator gar’s exoskeleton fish scales. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2424&context=etd

Omar-Ali, A., C. Hohn, P.J. Allen, J. Rodriguez, and L. Petrie-Hanson. 2015. Tissue PAH, blood cell and tissue changes following exposure to water accommodated fractions of crude oil in alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula. Marine environmental research, 108, 33-44. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0141113615000665

Richardson, B.M. 2015. A dietary comparison of the reintroduced alligator gar atractosteus spatula and three sympatric Gar relatives (family: Lepisosteidae) in the Clarks River, Kentucky (Doctoral dissertation, Murray State University). https://search.proquest.com/openview/2154ee884cc0e479f856245f3e4d0167/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Allen, Y.C., K.M. Kimmel, and G.C. Constant. 2014. Using remote sensing to assess Alligator Gar spawning habitat suitability in the lower Mississippi River. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Baton Rouge Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Allison, P.G., R.I. Rodriguez, R.D. Moser, B.A. Williams, A.R. Poda, J.M. Seiter, B.J. Lafferety, A.J. Kennedy, and M.Q. Chandler. 2014. Characterization of multi-layered fish scales (Atractosteus spatula) using nanoindentation, X-ray CT, FTIR, and SEM. JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), (89), e51535. https://www.jove.com/video/51535/characterization-multi-layered-fish-scales-atractosteus-spatula-using

Sakaris, P.C., Buckmeier, D.L., and N.G. Smith. 2014. Validation of daily ring deposition in the otoliths of age-0 Alligator Gar. North American journal of fisheries management, 34(6), 1140-1144. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02755947.2014.951806

Schwarz, D.E., and P.J. Allen. 2014. Effects of salinity on growth and ion regulation of juvenile alligator gar Atractosteus spatula. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 169, 44-50. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1095643313002973

Snow, R.A. 2014. Life history of juvenile alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) in Oklahoma (Doctoral dissertation, Oklahoma State University) https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/15132/Snow_okstate_0664M_13359.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Allison, P.G., M.Q. Chandler, R.I. Rodriguez, B.A. Williams, R.D. Moser, C.A. Weiss Jr, A.R. Poda, B.J. Lafferty, A.J. Kennedy, J.M. Seiter, and W.D. Hodo. 2013. Mechanical properties and structure of the biological multilayered material system, Atractosteus spatula scales. Acta biomaterialia, 9(2), 5289-5296. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706112005442

Bohn, S., E. Barraza, C. McMahan, W. Matamoros, and B. Kreiser. 2013. Cross amplification of microsatellite loci developed for Atractosteus spatula in Atractosteus tropicus. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, 84(4), 1349-1351. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1870345313729695

Buckmeier, D.L., N.G. Smith, and D.J. Daugherty. 2013. Alligator Gar movement and macrohabitat use in the lower Trinity River, Texas. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 142(4), 1025-1035. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00028487.2013.797494

McDonald, D.L., J.D. Anderson, C. Hurley, B.W. Bumguardner, and C.R. Robertson. 2013. Sexual Dimorphism in Alligator Gar. North American journal of fisheries management, 33(4), 811-816. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02755947.2013.812586

Militello, J. 2013. Juvenile alligator gar Atractosteus spatula home ranges, spatiotemporal movement patterns and habitat use in the Clarks river, Western Kentucky (Doctoral dissertation, Murray State University). https://search.proquest.com/openview/f703b95be56571a878a0ad3772479ebc/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Solomon, L.E., Q.E. Phelps, D.P. Herzog, C.J. Kennedy, and M.S. Taylor. 2013. Juvenile Alligator Gar movement patterns in a disconnected floodplain habitat in southeast Missouri. The American Midland Naturalist, 336-344. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Quinton_Phelps/publication/274774389_Juvenile_Alligator_Gar_Movement_Patterns_in_a_Disconnected_Floodplain_Habitat_in_Southeast_Missouri/links/56f0234b08ae584badc92ba3/Juvenile-Alligator-Gar-Movement-Patterns-in-a-Disconnected-Floodplain-Habitat-in-Southeast-Missouri.pdf

Yang, W., B. Gludovatz, E.A. Zimmermann, H.A. Bale, R.O. Ritchie, and M.A. Meyers. 2013. Structure and fracture resistance of alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) armored fish scales. Acta biomaterialia, 9(4), 5876-5889. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706112006186

Buckmeier, D.L., N.G. Smith, and K.S. Reeves. 2012. Utility of Alligator Gar age estimates from otoliths, pectoral fin rays, and scales. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 141(6), 1510-1519. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00028487.2012.717520

Mendoza, R., O. Santillán, A. Revol, C. Aguilera, and J. Cruz. 2012. Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula, Lacépède 1803) vitellogenin: purification, characterization and establishment of an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Aquaculture Research, 43(5), 649-661. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2109.2011.02870.x

Clay, T.A., M.D. Suchy, A.M. Ferrara, Q.C. Fontenot, and W. Lorio. 2011. Early growth and survival of larval alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula, reared on artificial floating feed with or without a live Artemia spp. supplement. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 42(3), 412-416. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1749-7345.2011.00481.x

Kluender, E.R. 2011. Seasonal habitat use of a leviathan, alligator gar, at multiple spatial scales in a river-floodplain ecosystem (Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Arkansas. Department of Biology.

Perschbacher, P.W. 2011. Effects of structure, forage, and stocking density on juvenile production of alligator gars in outdoor pools. North American Journal of Aquaculture, 73(1), 21-23. https://afspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15222055.2011.544952

Salnikov, V.B. 2010. First finding of gar Atractosteus sp.(Actinopterygii, Lepisosteiformes, Lepisosteidae) in the Caspian Sea near the coast of Turkmenistan. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions, 1(1), 17-20. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S2075111710010042

Clay, T.A. 2009. Growth, survival, and cannibalism rates of alligator gar Atractosteus spatula in recirculating aquaculture systems (Doctoral dissertation, Nicholls State University).

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Inebnit III, T.E. 2009. Aspects of the reproductive and juvenile ecology of Alligator Gar in the Fourche LaFave River, Arkansas. Master's thesis. University of Central Arkansas, Conway

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Suchy, M.D. 2009. Effects of Salinity on Growth and Survival of Larval and Juvenile Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula, and on Plasma Osmolality of Non-teleost Actinoperygiian Fishes (Doctoral dissertation, Nicholls State University).

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