Will alligator gar attack people?
Expert Answer
The alligator gar can attack people but will not do so on its own. It is fierce and mainly eats fish underwater, so it will not actively attack humans, but if you provoke it and make it feel threatened, it may strike. It is a large gar with a long, tube-shaped body and a protruding, duck-like snout; like a crocodile, its jaws hold two rows of knife-like sharp teeth, hence the name.
The alligator gar is a carnivorous fish with strong destructive power; released into natural waters it brings ruin to the local aquatic ecosystem. Its eggs are highly toxic, and it has a tendency to attack humans if provoked or startled. Native to North America, it is a giant freshwater carnivore that is very fierce, lacks natural enemies, and breeds fast, laying tens of thousands of eggs a year.
Like many fish it does not chew; despite its sharp teeth it swallows food whole, so it cannot eat very large prey. A normal adult gar reaches about 1.8 m, enough to eat many freshwater fish, but the prey it can swallow is limited, usually under half its body length. A human is far beyond its feeding limit, yet in September 2022 a boy in Jiangsu was bitten on three fingers by one seen in his neighborhood, and many provinces reported sightings, prompting drain-and-catch efforts.
So when you meet an alligator gar, do not approach it on purpose, and if you spot one in natural waters, contact the relevant department promptly.