Huge alligator gar pulled from Louisiana lagoon: ‘It was a stomach-turning smell’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}They typically prey on smaller fish but are also known to eat small turtles, ducks and other waterfowl.