Where Do Gars Actually Live in the US?

Gars live in 29 US states and are confirmed absent from 19 more, based on 19,401 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.

By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.

The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Indiana, and 23 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.

Gars have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts and Montana, or 9 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.

Not found (19)

Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Hawaii
Idaho
Maine
Massachusetts
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

Frequently asked questions

What states do gars live in?+

Gars have confirmed wild populations in 29 US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Where are gars not found in the US?+

Gars have no confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Full gars guides by state