Angler Danny Smith Surprises with a Catch of a Large North American Alligator Gar, a Species That Has Existed Since the Cretaceous Period, While Fishing on the Neosho River.
In a report on October 12, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) announced that the creature measured nearly 1.4 meters in length and weighed 17.92 kg. This is the first specimen of the species observed in the state of Kansas, USA.
Angler Danny Smith catches a large North American alligator gar on the Neosho River. (Photo: KDWP)
North American Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula) is nicknamed “living fossil” because it has appeared in the fossil record for over 100 million years. Their wide snouts with long, sharp teeth bear a striking resemblance to those of the American alligator.
“When the creature surfaced, I was overwhelmed at first sight. This is a once-in-a-lifetime fishing trip, I am certain of that,” Danny Smith shared.
The angler from Oswego stated that he had previously encountered spotted gars, shortnose gars, and longnose gars—species native to Kansas—but the North American alligator gar is not indigenous to this area. This primitive fish is typically found from southwestern Ohio, southern Illinois, throughout the Mississippi River Basin, and extending to the Gulf of Mexico, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
North American alligator gar has a snout very similar to that of the short-nosed crocodile. (Photo: TPWD)
How the North American alligator gar arrived at the Neosho River remains a mystery. In Kansas, releasing Atractosteus spatula into public waters is illegal unless they are caught from that specific body of water.
North American alligator gars in conservation programs in other states are often tagged for tracking, but the specimen found in Kansas did not have such a tag. Experts at KDWP stated they will continue to investigate the origins of the creature through other means, such as genetic identification and microchemical analysis.
