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alligator gar

American  

noun

  1. a large, heavily scaled fish, Lepisosteus spatula, with an elongated body and long snout, found mainly in shallow weedy fresh water in the southeastern U.S.


Etymology

Origin of alligator gar

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

In the United States, where the alligator gar population appears to be in decline, transport and trade of the fish is regulated by federal law.

From Washington Post Aug. 25, 2022

Before the alligator gar was confirmed, Smith posted a photo on a Facebook page for “whisker seekers,” a catfishing group.

From Seattle Times Oct. 14, 2021

The researchers also sequenced the bichir, an elongated, air-breathing, ray-finned fish that lives in the shallows of tropical African rivers, as well as the American paddlefish, the bowfin, and the alligator gar.

From Science Magazine Feb. 10, 2021

A man in Oklahoma caught a huge alligator gar in a lake over the weekend, the Oklahoma Game Wardens announced Monday.

From Fox News Apr. 22, 2019

"What else is going to be able to eat those monster carp?" said Allyse Ferrara, an alligator gar expert at Nicholls State University in Louisiana, where the species is relatively common.

From US News Jul. 29, 2016

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