According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resoures: Two species, longnose and shortnose gars, are found in Iowa waters. Years ago the gigantic alligator gar ascended the Mississippi River at least to Quincy, Illinois, and may well have entered Iowa. Click to see full answer.
Full Answer
Where can I find alligator gar?
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. Alligator gar are stalking, ambush predators.
Is the alligator gar related to alligators?
The alligator gar bears no relation to alligators, but with its wide, crocodilian head and razor-sharp teeth, it’s easy to see how this giant fish got its name. The largest of seven known gar species, this megafish has a torpedo-shaped body in olive brown and comes armored with glistening scales.
What happened to the alligator gar found in Kolkata?
In August 2015, an alligator gar was found entangled in cloth inside a well in Dadar, where it had been living for quite some time. It was rescued by animal activists and returned to the well unharmed. In June 2016, a 3.5-ft alligator gar was caught from Subhash Sarovar Lake in Kolkata.
What is the biggest alligator gar ever caught?
The largest alligator gar officially recorded was inadvertently caught in the net of fisherman Kenny Williams of Vicksburg, Mississippi, while he was fishing the oxbow lakes of the Mississippi River on February 14, 2011.
Are there gars in Iowa?
Primitive fish in Iowa include the paddlefish, bowfin, sturgeon, gar and lamprey.
How big do alligator gar get in Iowa?
It will live to be 30 years old and reach a maximum length of 56-inches. Recent stream sampling information is available from Iowa DNR's biological monitoring and assessment program.
What states are alligator gar found in?
Range and habitat Today alligator gars are known only to live in the lower Mississippi River Valley, from Oklahoma to the west, Arkansas to the north, Texas and portions of Mexico to the south, and east to Florida.
What is the rarest fish in Iowa?
Lake sturgeon are considered an endangered species in Iowa. They are found occasionally in the Mississippi River and in some of Iowa's interior rivers as they move into these rivers to spawn. They are considered a primitive fish since they have cartilage instead of bones and have been around for millions of years.
What is the biggest fish in Iowa?
While Iowa anglers have reeled in a 93-pound bighead carp and a 101-pound blue catfish, neither of those can dethrone Iowa's largest official state record fish, a 107-pound, 69.5-inch paddlefish caught in 1981 by Robert Pranschke of Onawa. That's a fish almost 6 feet long!
Can alligator gar bite you?
Danger to Humans Due to its large size and sharp teeth, the alligator gar is capable of delivering a serious bite wound to fisherman or swimmers. However, there is no documentation of attacks on man by alligator gars. The eggs are poisonous, causing illness if consumed by humans.
Are there Gators in Kentucky Lake?
MARSHALL COUNTY, KY — Lakegoers got a surprise Saturday when they saw an alligator at Kentucky Lake. Conservation officer Lee Cope with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife says the department got a call about an alligator near the paddle boat area, close to Kentucky Dam.
Is there Gators in Kentucky?
American alligators are typically found in the Southeast, particularly Florida, and range as far north as North Carolina and as far west as eastern Texas. They are rare in Kentucky. In 2018 a family came upon a 3-foot dwarf caiman while walking their dog in Lexington.
Does Kentucky have alligator gar?
In Kentucky, the Alligator Gar is native to the Ohio, Mississippi, and lower Cumberland and Tennessee River systems. Alligator Gar are found in large and slow moving rivers, reservoirs, oxbow lakes, bayous, and bays.
Does Iowa Have sturgeon?
Shovelnose are the only sturgeon which you can legally take in Iowa, and they are actively sought by commercial and sport fishermen. About 50,000 pounds are harvested each year by commercial fishermen from the Mississippi River.
Are eels found in Iowa?
In Iowa, the American Eel lives in the Mississippi River and its larger tributaries. It has also been documented in the Missouri River. In the Mississippi River, the American Eel is uncommon in the entire reach that borders Iowa. This fish is rare in collections, but does not appear to be on the edge of extirpation.
Is there crab in Iowa?
Bechel crab, Crab apple, Iowa crab, Iowa crab apple, Prairie crab, Prairie crab apple.
Which states allow alligator gar?
Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana allow regulated sport fishing of alligator gar. Texas has one of the best remaining fisheries for alligator gar, and in concert with its efforts to maintain a viable fishery, imposed a one-per-day bag limit on them in 2009.
Where was the 2011 Alligator Gar caught?
On January 21, 2011, an alligator gar measuring 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) was caught in a canal in Pasir Ris , Singapore, by two recreational fishermen. The fish was taken to a nearby pond, where the owner confirmed it was an alligator gar rather than an arapaima, as the men had initially thought.
What is the name of the alligator fish?
Lepidosteus chasei Wailes 1854. Lepisosteus berlandieri Girard 1858. Atractosteus lucius Duméril 1870. The alligator gar ( Atractosteus spatula) is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei / hoʊˈlɒstiaɪ /. It is the biggest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fish in North America.
Why are alligator gars important?
Over time, alligator gar were afforded some protection by state and federal resource agencies.
What do alligator gars eat?
Alligator gar are stalking, ambush predators, primarily piscivores, but they also ambush and eat waterfowl and small mammals they find floating on the water's surface.
What did Native Americans use to cover plows?
Native Americans in the South, and Caribbean peoples used the alligator gar's ganoid scales for arrow heads, breastplates and as shielding to cover plows. Early settlers tanned the skins to make a strong, durable leather to cover their wooden plows, and make purses and various other items.
How big was the gar in the lake?
The gar was 8 ft 5. +. 1⁄4 in (2.572 m) long, weighed 327 lb (148 kg), and its girth was 47 in (120 cm).
Where do alligator gars live?
The prehistoric relatives of the species first appeared 157 million years ago and inhabited many parts of the world. Today, however, gars live only in North and Central America. Alligator gars were historically found throughout the Mississippi River Valley and may have even existed as far north as Iowa and as far west as Kansas and Nebraska.
What is an alligator gar?
The alligator gar bears no relation to alligators, but with its wide, crocodilian head and razor-sharp teeth, it’s easy to see how this giant fish got its name.
What does an alligator's air bladder do?
The fish’s thick, spongy, and highly vascular air bladder behaves like a lung to aerate the alligator gar’s blood. It also allows the fish to gulp air to “breathe” in waters with low oxygen. It may obtain as much as 70 percent of the oxygen it needs from the atmosphere.
Do alligator gars attack humans?
Although they may look ferocious, alligator gars pose no threat to humans and there are no known attacks on people. They can pose a passive danger, though: The fish’s eggs are poisonous to humans if ingested. The toxicity of gar eggs serves as a defense mechanism against predators such as crustaceans.
Do alligator gars eat fish?
Alligator gars have few natural predators, though alligators have been known to attack them, and young fish are preyed upon by other species. Adult alligator gars primarily prey on fish, but they are opportunistic feeders who also eat blue crabs, small turtles, waterfowl or other birds, and small mammals.
What animal was stuffed in Iowa?
Animal control officials in Iowa thought they were hunting down an alligator but instead they got a crock. The animal experts were called to a Des Moines apartment parking lot to deal with a large reptile that turned out to be a stuffed animal.
Is there an alligator rescue in Iowa?
Although an alligator rescue would’ve been uncommon, it wouldn’t have been the first for the Iowa group, Filer said . In 2012, the group picked up an alligator living in a bathtub in a home with an adult, infant and a dog. The group has rescued tigers, monkeys and other exotic animals not suitable as pets, she said.
Characteristics
Olive to dark green above and white or silvery below. There are large round black spots on the dorsal, anal and caudal or tail fins. The whole body is covered with thick rhombic scales, and the snout is extended into a long, slender beak. Length of this beak is from 15 to 20 times its least width.
Distribution
Similar to that of the shortnoses, but more widely distributed. With the exception of the boundary waters, it is rare in numbers; a single fish often makes up an interior stream collection.
Foods
fish is the main food; a small part of their diet is crayfish and insects
Details
The Longnose Gar spawns in May and June when the water temperature reaches 70 degrees. Spawning takes place in shallow water of lakes or streams over weed beds or gravel. A large female (40-inches) may produce more than 36,000 large eggs up to 2/6-3/6 mm in diameter. The eggs hatch in 6 days at 68 degrees.
What is the Iowa state record crappie?
ANSWER: The current state record, caught at Three Mile Lake in June 2013, weighed 3 pounds and 14 ounces and measured 18 inches long. Tim’s black crappie from Lake Ponderosa was 19 inches long, but weighed 2.5 pounds, putting him just shy of the record.
Are there alligator gar in Iowa?
According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resoures: Two species, longnose and shortnose gars, are found in Iowa waters. Years ago the gigantic alligator gar ascended the Mississippi River at least to Quincy, Illinois, and may well have entered Iowa.
What is the heaviest bass ever caught?
Official Largemouth World Record: George Perry’s Undefeated Bass. On June 2nd, 1932, George Perry caught the current world record bass out of Lake Montgomery, an oxbow lake off the Ocmulgee River in southern Georgia. The fish (the whopper) weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces. At that time, world records for fish didn’t exist.
How big does a bass have to be to keep in Iowa?
There is no designated season for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass in Iowa, but depending on where you are fishing, the bass must be a minimum of 16 inches to 18 inches to be taken.
What is the longest crappie ever caught?
This massive 21-inch long, 5-pound, 3-ounce white crappie has been the IGFA all-tackle world record for the species for over half a century. It was caught in the Yocona River below Enad Dam.
What state has the biggest crappie?
While most anglers would consider any fish over 12 inches to be a slab, crappie can grow much bigger, especially in the south. Here is the list for the largest crappie caught in every state in America. … The State Crappie Record For Every State In America.
Whats the biggest crappie ever caught?
According to the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame, the largest black crappie ever caught weighed 6 pounds even. A fisherman landed it in 1969 in Westwego Canal, Louisiana.
What is the biggest catfish caught in Iowa?
1. The state- record blue catfish — a 101-pound, 53-inch behemoth — was caught in 2004 from the Missouri River south of Council Bluffs by Mike Rush of Bellevue, Neb. He is confident there are larger fish in that river.
What is the biggest bass caught in Iowa?
The state record for largemouth bass is 10 pounds, 12 ounces; it was caught by Patricia Zaerr back in 1984 from Lake Fisher in Davis County.
What is the heaviest fish ever caught?
According to IGFA records, the largest fish ever caught was a great white shark that weighed an unbelievable 2,664 pounds (1,208.389 kg.). Caught off the coast of Ceduna, Australia, in 1959, it took angler Alfred Dean just 50 minutes to win the fight against this one-ton shark .
Are there blue catfish in Iowa?
Distribution. Blue Catfish , not to be confused with the ” blue ” color phase of the male Channel Catfish , is native to the southern United States and is rarely found in the lower reaches of the Mississippi River in Iowa . Blue Catfish were stocked in Big Creek Lake in Polk County in 1972, but none were reported as caught.
Did grizzly bears ever exist in Oklahoma?
Some species no longer exist in Oklahoma . The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), red wolf (Canis rufus), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) are extinct in the state. The grizzly bear was probably present in western Oklahoma .
What is the heaviest bass ever caught?
Official Largemouth World Record: George Perry’s Undefeated Bass. On June 2nd, 1932, George Perry caught the current world record bass out of Lake Montgomery , an oxbow lake off the Ocmulgee River in southern Georgia. The fish (the whopper) weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces.
What fish are found in Iowa?
Some of the more common fish include the freshwater drum, brook stickleback, and gizzard shad. Mottled and slimy sculpins are found in the trout streams of northeast Iowa. American eel, mooneye, and burbot are only found in the largest of Iowa's rivers.
What are the three species of gamefish in Iowa?
These important gamefish have three species in Iowa: northern pike, muskellunge, and grass pickerel. Members of the pike family have long, cylindrical bodies with a short dorsal fin far back on the body. Their heads are flattened with duckbill-shaped jaws lined with very sharp teeth.
How many species of squid have been found in Iowa?
Sixteen species have been collected from Iowa waters, but several are listed as threatened or extirpated. The characteristic mouth is on the underside of the head and surrounded by fleshy lips. The head is scaleless and the fins lack rays.
How many species of catfish live in Iowa?
Ten species of catfish live in Iowa waters. Catfish have rounded, scaleless bodies with flattened bellies. They are further distinguished from other groups by the eight barbells or “whiskers” around their mouths. Strong, sharp spines are located at the insertion of the dorsal and pectoral fins.
What fish are in the trout stream in Iowa?
Some of the more common fish include the freshwater drum, brook stickleback, and gizzard shad. Mottled and slimy sculpins are found in the trout streams of northeast Iowa. American eel, mooneye, and burbot are only found in the largest of Iowa's rivers.
What are the species of perch in Iowa?
Iowa’s popular gamefish, walleye, sauger and yellow perch, are some of the 20 members of the perch family in Iowa. The remaining members are various species of darters. Members of the perch family have rather slender, elongated bodies and a large bone on the gill cover that ends in a flat spine. The spiny and soft portions of the dorsal fin are completely separated.
What are the two species of striped bass in Iowa?
Once referred to as "sea basses", three members of this family are found in Iowa. Two native species are the white bass and yellow bass, and the hybrid striped bass is an exotic species. This hybrid, also known as the Palmetto bass, is the cross of a female ocean striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and a male white bass. This fish, which does not occur in natural populations, was originally hybridized in the southern United States as a rapid growing fish adaptable to freshwater environments. Hybrid striped bass also provide a trophy fishery, with the current state record weighing nearly 20 pounds. Hybrid striped bass were stocked recently in community lakes such as Lake Manawa, Gray's Lake, Blue Heron Lake and Ada Hayden Lake, to improve the quality of these urban fisheries.
Overview
Distribution
Alligator gar inhabit a wide variety of aquatic habitats, but most are found in the Southern United States in reservoirs and lakes, in the backwaters of lowland rivers, and in the brackish waters of estuaries, bayous, and bays. It occurs southward along the Gulf Coast of Texas, into Tamaulipas and northern Veracruz, Mexico, however, records from Nicaragua and Costa Rica are considered "suspect and refuted". They have occasionally been seen in the Gulf of Mexico. In Texas and Lou…
Anatomy
Alligator gar are the largest species in the gar family, and among the largest freshwater fishes found in North America. Mature alligator gar commonly measure 6 ft (1.8 m) in length, and weigh over 100 lb (45 kg). However, anecdotal reports suggest they can grow up to 10 ft (3 m) in length, and weigh as much as 350 lb (159 kg). The largest alligator gar officially recorded was inadvertently caught in the net of fisherman Kenny Williams of Vicksburg, Mississippi, while he w…
Physiology
Alligator gar have gills, but unlike other species of fish, with few exceptions, they also have a highly vascularized swim bladder lung that supplements gill respiration. The bladder not only provides buoyancy, but also enables them to breathe in air, which is why they are able to inhabit bodies of water in which most other fishes would die of suffocation. The swim bladder is connected to their fore gut by a small pneumatic duct, which allows them to breathe or gulp air …
Taxonomy and evolution
Lacépède first described the alligator gar in 1803. The original name was Lepisosteus spatula, but was later changed by E.O. Wiley in 1976 to Atractosteus spatula to recognize two distinct taxa of gars. Synonyms of Atractosteus spatula include Lesisosteus [sic] ferox (Rafinesque 1820), and Lepisosteus spatula (Lacepede 1803). Fossils from the order Lepisosteiformes have been collected in Europe from the Cretaceous to Oligocene periods, in Africa and India from the Cretace…
Feeding behavior
Alligator gar are relatively passive, seemingly sluggish solitary fish, but voracious ambush predators. They are opportunistic night predators and are primarily piscivores, but they also ambush and eat water fowl, turtles, and small mammals that may be floating on the surface. Their method of ambush is to float a few feet below the surface, and wait for unsuspecting prey to swim within reach. They lunge forward, and with a sweeping motion, grab their prey, impaling it on thei…
Spawning
As with most ancestral species, alligator gar are long-lived, and sexually late maturing. Most females do not reach sexual maturity until after their first decade of life, while males reach sexual maturity in half that time. The conditions must be precise for a successful spawning to occur. Preparation for spawning begins in the spring with the extended photoperiod and rising water temperatures, but flooding is also necessary to trigger the event. When rivers rise and spread ov…
Human uses
Native Americans in the South, and Caribbean peoples used the alligator gar's ganoid scales for arrow heads, breastplates and as shielding to cover plows. Early settlers tanned the skins to make a strong, durable leather to cover their wooden plows, and make purses and various other items. Gar oil was also used by the people of Arkansas as a repellent for buffalo gnats.
For nearly half a century, alligator gar were considered "trash fish", or "nuisance species" by stat…