This “living fossil” can grow as large as an alligator, has two rows of needle-sharp teeth, and such strong armor that it survived predatory dinosaurs.
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An Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) in water. Alligator gar is a ray-finned euryhaline fish related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei. (Image credit: Danny Ye / Alamy Stock Photo)
Name: Alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula)
Where it lives: Rivers, reservoirs and coastal bays in southwestern U.S. states, down to Veracruz, Mexico
What it eats: Crabs, fish, birds, mammals, turtles, and carrion
