1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey Brainstuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here, 2 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: as humans, we like to think we run the show 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: here on planet Earth, but in the grand scheme of things, 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: we're mere infants compared with other species. The prehistoric looking 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: alligator gar, for example, is sometimes referred to as a 6 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: living fossil, and for good reason. Scientists can trace this 7 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: unique looking fish back one hundred million years. A gar 8 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: are types of freshwater fish currently found only in eastern 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. These seven species 10 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: of gar that exist today are the only surviving members 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: of an even more ancient group of fish that developed 12 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 1: during the Triassic more than two hundred and forty million 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 1: years ago. A gar, also called gar pikes, are named 14 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: for an Anglo Saxon term for spear. The name is 15 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: fitting because they are long, tubular bodies, are covered in 16 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:05,119 Speaker 1: a protective armor of hard diamond shaped scales, and their 17 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: snouts are typically elongated. The alligator gar is a bit different, 18 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: though it's still torpedo shaped, but its signature facial structure 19 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: involves a short, wide, shovel shaped bill with two rows 20 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: of pointed teeth that make it stand out amongst its 21 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: fellow gar and explains the reptilian name. They do also 22 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: have sets of stubby fins along their belly that look 23 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: a bit like an alligator's legs from a distance. All 24 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 1: gar can get pretty big, but alligator gar can weigh 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: up to three hundred and fifty pounds that's one hundred 26 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: and sixty kilos and measure more than ten feet or 27 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: three meters in length. Average sized adults are about a 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: third to half of that though for the article this 29 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: episode is based on how Stuffworks. Spoke back in twenty 30 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: nineteen with one Robert H. Robbins, the collection manager in 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: the Division of Ideology at the Florida Museum of Natural History. 32 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: He said, the alligator gar is the largest of these 33 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: seven living species of gar. Besides its massive adult size, 34 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: it can be distinguished from other gar by two rows 35 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: of teeth in the upper jar versus one, and a 36 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: head that one measured length versus with is broader than 37 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: most other gar and talk about massive. In the first 38 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: week of May of twenty twenty two, a texasman pulled 39 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: in an alligator gar of truly monstrous proportions. A Peyton Moore, 40 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: a YouTuber educator and conservationist caught the huge fish, which 41 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: was eight feet or two and a half meters long 42 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: and weighed and estimated three hundred pounds or one hundred 43 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: and thirty six kilos. In an interview with The Houston Chronicle, 44 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: Moore said it felt like somebody's car had just started 45 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 1: up and was rolling out of the driveway and I'm 46 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: hanging on to the end of it. Moore released the 47 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,280 Speaker 1: gar back into the bayou, but he didn't seek official certification, 48 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: so his massive catch isn't eligible for the record books. 49 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: The record for the largest alligator gar ever Cotton, Texas 50 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: still stands with the beast hauled into a boat in 51 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,640 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three, which weighed three hundred and two pounds 52 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: or one hundred and thirty seven kilos. Alligator gar currently 53 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 1: live in freshwater systems from Montana to southern Quebec to 54 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 1: Costa Rica, but according to the Fossil Record, they once 55 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:22,359 Speaker 1: elsus swam in waters from South America to South Asia, 56 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: to Africa to Europe. The alligator gar's distinctive dark, olive 57 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: brown skin is one of the features that has historically 58 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: made the animal a hot commodity for humans. Its thick, 59 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: overlapping scales have been used to make jewelry in tools 60 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: as well as a host of leather products, and the 61 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: skin oil has been used as an insect repellent. Alligator 62 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: gars eat blue crabs, turtles, small mammals, and waterfowl. They 63 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: have few natural predators because of their size. A gar 64 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: are now one of the largest freshwater fishes in North America. 65 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: They can be aggressive when threatened, and certainly dangerous with 66 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: all those needle sharp teeth, but there's never been a 67 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: verified attack on a human by an alligator gar. According 68 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: to Robins, people have been fishing for alligator gar for 69 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: centuries and potentially longer, he said, the reasons for doing 70 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: so vary. In my state, Florida, no one may take 71 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:21,799 Speaker 1: an alligator gar without a special permit, and such permits 72 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: are limited to scientific research or species management work only. 73 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 1: This is sound management. Alligator gar are slow growing and 74 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: slow to reach sexual maturity. They aggregate and spawn in 75 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: specialized habitat. All of this makes them vulnerable to overfishing 76 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: and environmental degradation. Regulations in other areas vary. However, while 77 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: experimented fishermen may enjoy the thrill of pursuing and catching 78 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: this distinctive species. No one's exactly clamoring to cook them 79 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: for dinner. The alligator gar is technically edible, but not 80 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 1: a great meal option for a couple of reasons. A. 81 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: Robins said the eggs of all gar are toxic to 82 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: eat and the flesh's poor quality. In addition, all gars 83 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,840 Speaker 1: have a thick armor like covering of scales over their 84 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: entire body. It would be very, very difficult to process 85 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: a gar, and for the aforementioned reasons, not a good 86 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:20,919 Speaker 1: idea or in most cases, worth the effort. Their size 87 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: also pretty much excludes them from being kept by home 88 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: aquarium hobbyists. Robin said, I have seen gar for sale 89 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: as pets, including fantastic color varieties, but all gar get 90 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: at least close to a meter in length and are 91 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: too much for all but large public aquaria. A part 92 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: of the reason alligator gar have been on the receiving 93 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: end of overfishing may be due to a now debunked 94 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 1: theory that the animal was preying on a variety of 95 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: other fish that humans wanted for themselves. In reality, alligator 96 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 1: gar aren't likely to go after game fish and are 97 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: happy eating a whole lot of other things like the 98 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: aforementioned small mammals, waterfowl, insects, and crustaceans. A Robin said, 99 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: the seven living species of gar are remnants of an 100 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: ancient division of fishes that date to the early Cretaceous 101 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:13,600 Speaker 1: period about one hundred and eighteen million years ago. They 102 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: are really quite special fishes with an amazingly successful body 103 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,479 Speaker 1: plan in biology that has really stood the test of time. 104 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,280 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article Alligator gar one 105 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: hundred million years old and still Kicking on how stuffworks 106 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: dot Com, written by Michelle Constantinosky. Brain Stuff is production 107 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: of by Heart Radio in partnership with how Stuffworks dot 108 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 1: Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts 109 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 110 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.