100 million years old "prehistoric-looking" fish still alive

Alligator Gar: 100 Million Years Old and Still Kicking

As humans, we like to think we run the show here on planet Earth. But in the grand scheme of things, our legacy is laughably short compared to those of other species. The prehistoric looking Atractosteus spatula, for example, otherwise known as the alligator gar, is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil." And for good reason: Scientists can trace this unique looking fish back 100 million years.

Alligator Gar also have no relation to Alligators:

Alligator Gar Have No Relation to Alligators


The alligator gar is a bit different, though — its signature facial structure includes a short, wide, shovel-shaped bill that makes it stand out amongst its fellow gar (and explains the reptilian name). Like other types of gar, these guys can be pretty big, weighing up to 350 pounds (159 kilograms) and measuring more than 10 feet (3 meters) in length. Average-sized adults come in at a more moderate 100 to 160 pounds (45 to 73 kilograms) and 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 2 meters) in length.

The alligator gar's distinctive dark olive-brown skin is one of the features that has historically made the animal a hot commodity for humans. The thick, overlapping scales (known as ganoid scales) have been used to make jewelry and tools, as well as a whole host of leather products, and the skin oil has been used as an insect repellent.

Wow, would love to see such fascinating creatures in the flesh. Not many people are actually aware that this 100 million years old species exists on Earth today...

Seen them in quite a few pet shops.

Apparently the eggs are poisonous which helped it survive longer than human species!

While fishing at Blewet Falls dam in NC, a guy next to me caught one. Toothy suckers, ugly. but unique.

I'll one up ya, The Elephant Sharks are around 400 million years old!

There's a British fishing program on TV called River Monsters that I enjoy watching, it follows a guy around the world as he tries to find the sources of legend and myth associated with, well, rivers lol

He did a great episode on the Alligator Gar, here it is;



If you're into fishing you might get hooked (see what I did there?)

a reply to: AnakinWayneII

Man, you people way behind us! In South Louisiana we grind up the meat, make gar fish balls, cook 'em down in a brown gravy.

Damn, dey some kind of good, chère!

Here's a recipe with the brown gravy.

This recipe has more of a creole twist.

Or, if you like, you can just make the balls (or even patties) and fry them up.

Works with choupique, too.
:

originally posted by: Plotus
While fishing at Blewet Falls dam in NC, a guy next to me caught one. Toothy suckers, ugly. but unique.

I bet he threw it back, didn't he? Po' ig'nunt soul.

I've done a lot of saltwater and freshwater fishing in my lifetime, caught a lot of different fish. The one that stands out the best is a 70 pound gar that I caught out of one of the local lakes. Caught it at about 100 feet deep and boy did it put up a fight.

Landed it, took pictures and let it go. They bleed a lot from between their armor and it made a mess in the boat, but it was worth it. I think its a defense mechanism or something.

a reply to: AnakinWayneII

The rivers of the gulf coast are full of them. I have swam with big gar many times.

originally posted by: Nickn3
a reply to: AnakinWayneII

The rivers of the gulf coast are full of them. I have swam with big gar many times.

I was always warned ,as a kid, to never go skinny dipping in a bayou because, as the old folks said, an alligator gar will bite on anything that wiggles.

It's not the length of our legacy, but the impact of our legacy that matters. So yes we do run things here on Earth.

We have them here in quite a few of our river systems.

The Wisconsin river and Mississippi river have healthy numbers of them.

Like Muskies, they are known for going after small pets, and ducks/gulls.

a reply to: incoserv



Like this?

originally posted by: incoserv
a reply to: AnakinWayneII

Man, you people way behind us! In South Louisiana we grind up the meat, make gar fish balls, cook 'em down in a brown gravy.

Damn, dey some kind of good, chère!

Here's a recipe with the brown gravy.

This recipe has more of a creole twist.

Or, if you like, you can just make the balls (or even patties) and fry them up.

Works with choupique, too.
:

Justin Wilson style ?

a reply to: Gothmog

I'm with you on this.

I've eaten them, they are good.

There's a restaurant in the small town Grafton, IL called the Finn Inn that has aquariums built into the walls next to the booths. You can eat a delicious meal right next to 3 ft+ Alligator gar, native to the Mississippi River where the restaurant is. They also have a variety of other local river fish and large Alligator snapping turtles in the aquariums. It's quite a unique experience if you're in the area. Not sure if alligator gar is on the menu...

originally posted by: ManWhoWasThursday
It's not the length of our legacy, but the impact of our legacy that matters. So yes we do run things here on Earth.

You forgot the i in run.

Been fishing for them a long time . When I was young they were considered a nuisance fish and we would chuck them up on the hill .

Quit doing that though.

I’ve got one neat story on how rugged they are . We were camping at the T on alligator alley .

A friend caught one about 5 feet long . I had brought a machete that wasn’t razor sharp but you could split coconuts with in one blow .

A friend of mine took the machete and tried to cut it in two. The blade bounced off, three or four of us did the same thing and got the same results .

After we were done It looked fine so we figured anything that tough deserves to live and put it back .


Factoid

If anyone decides to go fishing for them. Because of their narrow mouth they’re hard to hook. The best method we’ve found is wrapping your bait up in four or five layers pantyhose. It gets tangled up in their needle like teeth, if they don’t flat out swallow it.

I've been rammed at full speed by alligator gar.

Feels like a paintball hit.

Quite an interesting animal, attempting to take down a human.

a reply to: Fallingdown

...If anyone decides to go fishing for them. Because of their narrow mouth they’re hard to hook. The best method we’ve found is wrapping your bait up in four or five layers pantyhose. It gets tangled up in their needle like teeth, if they don’t flat out swallow it.

I saw a documentary some years back that showed guys fishing for tuna with nothing but lengths of what I remember as being wool instead of hooks, and they were pulling them in thick and fast.

They looked like small squid lures, only hookless. I've tried to find a clip but to no avail, but I remember it as it was so cool,