Longnose gar
Lepisosteus osseus
Where at Shedd?
At Home on the Great Lakes
| Diet | Fishes and crustaceans |
|---|---|
| Size | Length: Up to 6.5 feet (200 cm) |
| Type | Fishes |
| Range | East Coast North America |
| Habitat | Rivers and lakes of southeastern Canada through east-central United States to northern Mexico |
Did you know?
- The longnose gar’s snout is a sizable part of its length. This gar feeds on fishes—anything it can fit in its mouth.
- Gars are primitive fish—little changed since the dinosaur times. Their armor of rock-hard, diamond-shaped, interlocking scales has protected them for millions of years.
- When a young gar spots its prey, it curves and tenses its body into an S-shape—set like a spring for a lightning-fast, explosive strike.
- Once the gar snatches a fish from the water, it flips it around and swallows the fish head-first.
- Gars looks like floating logs drifting along in the water, and young gars look like tiny twigs.