A gar is any of seven species of large North American fishes within the genera Atractosteus and Lepisosteus , belonging to the family Lepisosteidae. Gars are related to the bowfin and are mainly found in fresh water, though some can be found in brackish or even salt water. These fish are known for their long, dart-shaped bodies and frequently bask at the water's surface like logs. They possess a unique adaptation that allows them to gulp air in response to low-oxygen conditions, delivering it to a primitive lung called a gas bladder, which facilitates gas exchange. Their jaws form a sharp-toothed beak, and their bodies are encased in diamond-shaped, thick, enameled scales. The alligator gar can grow up to approximately 3 meters (10 feet), making it one of the largest freshwater fishes.

Where do gar fish live?

Gars are North American fishes that live chiefly in fresh water, though some can live in brackish or even salt water. They can be found in slow-moving and stagnant water bodies like bayous and estuaries, where they often bask at the surface. The oldest member of Lepisosteidae, Nhanulepisosteus mexicanus , lived approximately 157 million years ago. During the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago), gars lived in Europe and North America. Gars occur only in North America, Central America, and Cuba—from southeastern Canada to Panama but are not found west of the Rocky Mountains.

What do gar fish look like?

Gars are large North American fishes with long, dart-shaped bodies. Their jaws and face form a sharp-toothed beak, with long rows of needlelike teeth that are effective for capturing prey. The beak is very long and forcepslike in the longnose gar , but broad and relatively short in the alligator gar . Their bodies are encased in an armor of thick, diamond-shaped, enameled scales. The alligator gar can reach about 3 meters (10 feet) in length, making it one of the largest freshwater fishes.

What do gar fish eat?

Gar fish hatchlings exhibit rapid growth, initiating their diet with the hatchlings of other fishes, even minnows. They swiftly evolve into voracious predators, employing their needle-like teeth to effectively capture prey. As euryphagic feeders, gars ingest a variety of different foods. Bowfins (also known as grindles, mudfishes, and dogfishes) eat all kinds of fish and invertebrates.

How do gar fish catch their prey?

Gars are known for their long, dart-shaped bodies and can be found in North American fresh water habitats, such as bayous and estuaries. They have long rows of needle-like teeth in their sharp-toothed beak that are very effective for capturing prey. The longnose gar has a very long, forceps-like beak. Gars are voracious predators, feeding on the hatchlings of other fish and even minnows.

Why are gar fish important in their habitats?

Gars, found mainly in North American fresh waters, play a vital role in their habitats. They inhabit slow-moving and stagnant water bodies, such as bayous and estuaries, and frequently bask like logs at the surface. As voracious predators, gar maintain balance by feeding on the hatchlings of other fish and minnows, which helps to control their populations. Their presence contributes to the overall biodiversity and health of these aquatic ecosystems.

gar

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juvenile shortnose gar (Lepisosteus platostomus)

Diagram showing four types of fish scales: ctenoid scales from a bass, cycloid scales from a salmon, ganoid scales from a gar, and placoid scales from a shark, each illustrated with a close-up and the corresponding fish silhouette.

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Related Topics:: billfish; Atractosteus; Lepisosteidae; Lepisosteus

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gar

fish

Also known as: gar pike, garfish

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What is a gar fish?
A gar is any of seven species of large North American fishes within the genera Atractosteus and Lepisosteus, belonging to the family Lepisosteidae. Gars are related to the bowfin and are mainly found in fresh water, though some can be found in brackish or even salt water.

These fish are known for their long, dart-shaped bodies and frequently bask at the water's surface like logs. They possess a unique adaptation that allows them to gulp air in response to low-oxygen conditions, delivering it to a primitive lung called a gas bladder, which facilitates gas exchange. Their jaws form a sharp-toothed beak, and their bodies are encased in diamond-shaped, thick, enameled scales. The alligator gar can grow up to approximately 3 meters (10 feet), making it one of the largest freshwater fishes.
2 Britannica Sources
1. gar
2. holostean: General features
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Where do gar fish live?
Gars are North American fishes that live chiefly in fresh water, though some can live in brackish or even salt water. They can be found in slow-moving and stagnant water bodies like bayous and estuaries, where they often bask at the surface.

The oldest member of Lepisosteidae, Nhanulepisosteus mexicanus, lived approximately 157 million years ago. During the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago), gars lived in Europe and North America. Gars occur only in North America, Central America, and Cuba—from southeastern Canada to Panama but are not found west of the Rocky Mountains.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do gar fish look like?
Gars are large North American fishes with long, dart-shaped bodies. Their jaws and face form a sharp-toothed beak, with long rows of needlelike teeth that are effective for capturing prey. The beak is very long and forcepslike in the longnose gar, but broad and relatively short in the alligator gar. Their bodies are encased in an armor of thick, diamond-shaped, enameled scales. The alligator gar can reach about 3 meters (10 feet) in length, making it one of the largest freshwater fishes.
2 Britannica Sources
1. gar
2. holostean: General features
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do gar fish eat?
Gar fish hatchlings exhibit rapid growth, initiating their diet with the hatchlings of other fishes, even minnows. They swiftly evolve into voracious predators, employing their needle-like teeth to effectively capture prey.

As euryphagic feeders, gars ingest a variety of different foods. Bowfins (also known as grindles, mudfishes, and dogfishes) eat all kinds of fish and invertebrates.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do gar fish catch their prey?
Gars are known for their long, dart-shaped bodies and can be found in North American fresh water habitats, such as bayous and estuaries. They have long rows of needle-like teeth in their sharp-toothed beak that are very effective for capturing prey. The longnose gar has a very long, forceps-like beak. Gars are voracious predators, feeding on the hatchlings of other fish and even minnows.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Why are gar fish important in their habitats?
Gars, found mainly in North American fresh waters, play a vital role in their habitats. They inhabit slow-moving and stagnant water bodies, such as bayous and estuaries, and frequently bask like logs at the surface.

As voracious predators, gar maintain balance by feeding on the hatchlings of other fish and minnows, which helps to control their populations. Their presence contributes to the overall biodiversity and health of these aquatic ecosystems.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

gar, any of seven species of large North American fishes of the genera Atractosteus and Lepisosteus, in the family Lepisosteidae. Gars, which are related to the bowfin in the infraclass Holostei, are confined chiefly to fresh water, though some of the species descend to brackish or even salt water.

Gars are known for their long dart-shaped bodies. They inhabit slow-moving and stagnant water bodies, such as bayous and estuaries. In these habitats they frequently bask like logs at the surface. Gars have the ability to gulp air in response to low-oxygen conditions that often occur in sluggish waters. The air is delivered to a type of primitive lung called a gas bladder or air-breathing organ, which is vascularized to allow for gas exchange with the body. Their jaws and face form a sharp-toothed beak, and their bodies are encased in an armour of diamond-shaped, thick, enameled (ganoid) scales.

The oldest member of Lepisosteidae, Nhanulepisosteus mexicanus, is known from fossils discovered in Mexico that date to approximately 157 million years ago near the end of the Jurassic Period (which lasted from 201.3 million to 145 million years ago). During the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 33.9 million years ago), gars lived in Europe and North America. One reason for their survival is thought to be that their relatively large, yolk-filled, greenish eggs are highly toxic to prospective predators. The eggs are laid in shallows in the spring. The hatchlings grow remarkably fast, feeding from the start on the hatchlings of other fish and even minnows, and soon become such voracious predators that measures are often applied to reduce their numbers. The long rows of needlelike teeth are very effective in capturing prey.

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The beak is very long and forcepslike in the longnose gar, or billfish (Lepisosteus osseus), but broad and relatively short in the alligator gar (A. spatula) of the southern United States. The alligator gar, reaching a length of about 3 metres (10 feet), is one of the largest of all freshwater fishes. Gars are edible but are almost never eaten in the central and northern United States. They are sometimes baked in their own armour. Some artisans fabricate the enameled scales into novelty jewelry. The shortnose gar (L. platostomus), which is native to much of the Mississippi River basin, is smaller, growing up to 0.6 metre (2 feet) in length.

Especially in Europe, the common name gar, or garfish or garpike, is applied to the needlefish of the family Belonidae. In Australia the term is used for the halfbeak, a relative of the needlefish.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.

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