Alligator gar (Lepisosteus spatula to Atractosteus spatula) is found in the southern United States. This can be found from the Florida Panhandle west to Texas and north in the Mississippi River system to Oklahoma, Illlinois, Missouri, Indiana, and even Ohio. This is also found along the Texas coast as far south as Veracruz, Mexico. This is a large gar with examples up to 8 feet long and perhaps to 10 feet long. Weights over 300 pounds are known. The snout is short and wide.

Pfiegler in his book on Missouri fishes notes this species has reached weights of 300 pounds. He notes recent catches around 1975 are less than 7 feet long and weigh less than 130 pounds. He notes this fish is found in Missouri waters only in the Mississippi River below St. Louis.

Recently, this fish has become extinct in many of its previous northern habitats. However, biologists are now releasing examples in the northern portion of their historic range in the hope this giant fish will thrive on the grass carp. The grass carp can reach 4 feet in length and weigh over 100 pounds. The grass carp is an Asian invader that can destroy local fisheries. There is serious concern that if the grass carp invades the Great Lakes that it will do great damage to commercial fisheries in those fresh water lakes. (Tammy Webber, Associated Press, summer 2016)

Garpikes are a primitive family of fish that are found from Canada to Central America and in Cuba. They are characterized by having a long bill or beak. There are 7 known species of which 5 are found in North America. The Lepisosteus genus and the Atractosteus genus (Alligator gar and relatives) belong here. The Atractosteus genus has three species with one species in North America, one in Central America, and one in Cuba and adjacent islands.

Garfish and the Bowfin are a primitive group of fish that are only found in the New World. There are probably only nine species in this entire group. This group has been placed close to the true bony fish.

Bony fish, Class Teleostomi, are a class of chordates that include the majority of fish-like animals found on earth. They are characterized by a bony jaw and a bony skeleton. They are found in both fresh and marine waters.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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