Shortnose gar

After consuming their yolk sac, the young fish feed on insect larvae and small crustaceans, maturing at an age of about three years.Similar to many Paleozoic and Mesozoic actinopterygians, their bodies are covered in rows of interlocking, rhomboidal ganoid scales that create an exceptionally protective, yet flexible armor around the fish.Shortnose gar vary in color, changing from brown/olive green on the dorsal surface to yellow on the sides and white on the underbelly.Gar gas bladders have the ability to function like a lung to extract and use oxygen from swallowed air in addition to regulating buoyancy.Often accompanied by more than one male, females scatter large, yellowish-green eggs in quiet, shallow water among submerged vegetation or other underwater structures.
Lepisosteus platostomus
Conservation statusLeast ConcernIUCN 3.1Scientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataActinopterygiiGinglymodiLepisosteiformesLepisosteidaeLepisosteusBinomial nameRafinesqueSynonymsGulf Coastganoid scalesambush predatorconicalPaleozoicMesozoicactinopterygiansdorsal finanal fincaudal finalligator garlongnose garspotted garoxbow lakesturbidgas bladderbuoyancyadhesivemammalshumansyolk saclarvaecrustaceanscrayfishinsectsinvertebratesperiodical cicadasMississippiMissouri RiverMontanaOhio RiverLouisianaAlabamaIUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesFishBaseFroese, RainerIntegrated Taxonomic Information SystemWikidataWikispeciesiNaturalistNatureServeOpen Tree of Life