Huge alligator gar pulled from Louisiana lagoon: ‘It was a stomach-turning smell’

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Huge alligator gar pulled from Louisiana lagoon

A huge alligator gar was pulled from a Louisiana lagoon.

Officials at a park outside of New Orleans, Lousiana, pulled a large, deceased alligator gar from a lagoon this week.

The creature was removed from the lagoon at Lafreniere Park in Metairie.

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While it’s not clear how long the fish was dead, a spokesperson for the park told Fox News on Saturday that the alligator gar was discovered after park employees smelled a foul odor and eventually tracked the smell to the fish.

The lagoon, which is 14-acres in size and 16-feet deep in some areas, is “connected to a drainage canal via large concrete pipes. We believe the fish got into our lagoon that way,” the spokesperson said, describing the odor coming from the fish as “stomach-turning.”

The park later took to Facebook with images of the large fish.

“Welp. Scratching swim nude in Lafreniere Park off my bucket list,” one person joked in response.

“What is that?!! Did a fish and an alligator mate? Omg, that’s scary and it’s so big. Is it a fish? What type with a mouth so big?” another commented.

“That thing has been dead for a while,” a third said.

Alligator gars (named so for its alligator-looking snout) can be found in North and Central America and can grow up to 10-feet in length, National Geographic reported. Some have been known to reach 300 pounds.

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While these prehistoric-looking creatures may look frightening, they aren’t known to attack people. That said, its eggs are poisonous to humans if eaten, according to the publication.

They typically prey on smaller fish but are also known to eat small turtles, ducks and other waterfowl.