Why it's awesome: With their long snout, thick armored scales, and two rows of piercing teeth, these huge fish could easily be mistaken for a ferocious gator — hence their common name: alligator gar.

Style: Scales Raw Material 2: Alligator gar Element: Complete Comments: These are interesting. Joan Gardner, conservator, writes in 2/77, "Two scales of alligator gar- lepisosteus tristoechus, which ...

The alligator gar disappeared from most states in the 1900s after extensive extermination efforts but is now being reintroduced as competition for the invasive carp, which can grow as large as ...

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 Why it's awesome: With their ...