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282:, feeding mostly on fish, but also consuming crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates. Breeding takes place in spring when females, often accompanied by several males, attach their eggs to clumps of submerged vegetation. The eggs, which are toxic to man, hatch after a week or so. After consuming their yolk sac, the young fish feed on insect larvae and small crustaceans, maturing at an age of about three years.
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Shortnose gar typically spawn in the spring during April, May, and June, when water temperatures are between 16 and 21 °C (61 and 70 °F). Often accompanied by more than one male, females scatter large, yellowish-green eggs in quiet, shallow water among submerged vegetation or other
271:. It inhabits calm waters in large rivers and their backwaters, as well as oxbow lakes and large pools. It is a long, slender fish, brown or olive green above and whitish below. It typically grows to about 60 cm (24 in) and is armored by rows of interlocking, rhomboidal
493:, where they are considered a fish of special concern due to restricted distribution and limited population sizes. In Ohio, they are an endangered species because of limited range (primarily the Ohio River and lower Scioto and Great Miami Rivers).
428:. Despite feeding mainly on whatever fish are available, shortnose gar eat more invertebrates than any other gar and have even been found to exhibit territorial defense behaviors around favorable pools while foraging on high numbers of
331:. Shortnose gar vary in color, changing from brown/olive green on the dorsal surface to yellow on the sides and white on the underbelly. Shortnose gar can be discerned from other gar species in that they lack the upper jaw of the
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Shortnose gar help maintain ecosystem equilibrium by feeding on minnows that are destructive to game fish and other fish populations. They are popular aquarium fish, and are frequently found in public aquariums across the country.
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Shortnose gar have a prehistoric-looking appearance. Like many other "lie-in-wait" predators, they have an elongated, torpedo-like body with an elongated head containing one row of sharp,
267:. It is native to the United States where its range includes the Mississippi and Missouri River basins, ranging from Montana to the west and the Ohio River to the east, southwards to the
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408:. Young gar typically lead solitary lives and sexual maturity is achieved around three years of age when the gar reaches about 15 in (380 mm) in length.
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and large, quiet pools, typically around vegetation or downed logs. Gar have the ability to survive in environments with very little oxygen and especially
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With very few natural predators able to cope with a gar's thick ganoid scale armor, shortnose gar are generally plentiful. One exception is in
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Shortnose gar are efficient, fierce, ambush predators. They feed mainly on fish, but they are very opportunistic and also eat
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Shortnose gar today are only located in North
America. Located mainly in the central United States, they occupy much of the
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343:. The shortnose gar reaches up to 88 cm (35 in), but a more common length is 62.5 cm (24.6 in).
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724:, American Midland Naturalist Journal: Shortnose Gar - Territorial Defense of Profitable Pool Positions.
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holds the eggs together in clumps, where they hatch after eight to 9 days. The eggs are poisonous to
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Shortnose gar generally inhabit calm waters in large rivers and their backwaters, as well as
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that create an exceptionally protective, yet flexible armor around the fish. The
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Van Der Laan, Richard; Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ronald (11 November 2014).
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to extract and use oxygen from swallowed air in addition to regulating
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315:, their bodies are covered in rows of interlocking, rhomboidal
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363:. Gar gas bladders have the ability to function like a
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551:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202411A18233754.en
323:is located posterior nearly directly above the
263:) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family
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1039:Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
400:for another week, then they feed on insect
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713:, Short-nosed Gar - Warner Nature Center.
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359:conditions because of their specialized
742:Integrated Taxonomic Information System
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603:"Family-group names of Recent fishes"
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1029:Freshwater fish of the United States
665:Shortnose Gar - Montana Field Guide.
1019:IUCN Red List least concern species
537:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
456:(in the east) in the north and the
14:
380:underwater structures. A sticky
646:, Short-nosed Gar - zen gyotaku.
505:translates to "bony scale", and
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572:Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (2017).
1:
509:translates to "broad mouth".
396:. The young remain in the
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375:Reproduction and lifecycle
339:, and the markings of the
620:10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1
233:Cylindrosteus rafinesquii
217:Cylindrosteus platostomus
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70:Scientific classification
68:
46:
37:
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23:
682:; Pauly, Daniel (eds.).
335:, the long snout of the
327:and very near the large
304:teeth. Similar to many
278:The shortnose gar is an
241:Cylindrosteus scabriceps
793:Lepisosteus platostomus
763:Lepisosteus platostomus
736:Lepisosteus platostomus
686:Lepisosteus platostomus
530:Lepisosteus platostomus
295:Lepisosteus platostomus
260:Lepisosteus platostomus
192:Lepisosteus platostomus
1034:Fish described in 1820
544:: e.T202411A18233754.
297:
696:. April 2011 version.
452:(in the west) to the
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526:NatureServe (2013).
476:Importance to humans
448:basins ranging from
485:Conservation status
174:L. platostomus
40:Conservation status
430:periodical cicadas
298:
220:(Rafinesque, 1820)
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1005:
968:Open Tree of Life
755:Taxon identifiers
581:version (02/2017)
497:Etymology of name
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225:Lepisosteus albus
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744:. 23 April 2011.
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140:Lepisosteiformes
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317:ganoid scales
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273:ganoid scales
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265:Lepisosteidae
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236:Duméril, 1870
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183:Binomial name
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150:Lepisosteidae
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55:Least Concern
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613:(1): 1–230.
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584:. Retrieved
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555:. Retrieved
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468:to parts of
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436:Distribution
424:, and other
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392:, including
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337:longnose gar
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244:Fowler, 1911
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929:NatureServe
867:iNaturalist
787:Wikispecies
557:11 November
507:platostomus
503:Lepisosteus
442:Mississippi
406:crustaceans
361:gas bladder
353:oxbow lakes
341:spotted gar
286:Description
161:Lepisosteus
1013:Categories
513:References
501:In Greek,
458:Gulf Coast
454:Ohio River
404:and small
329:caudal fin
321:dorsal fin
269:Gulf Coast
199:Rafinesque
130:Ginglymodi
462:Louisiana
306:Paleozoic
168:Species:
93:Kingdom:
87:Eukaryota
934:2.105875
885:10158746
841:FishBase
772:Wikidata
693:FishBase
629:25543675
579:FishBase
418:crayfish
398:yolk sac
382:adhesive
369:buoyancy
325:anal fin
310:Mesozoic
208:Synonyms
146:Family:
107:Chordata
103:Phylum:
97:Animalia
83:Domain:
60:IUCN 3.1
996:1017720
859:2346740
778:Q692938
607:Zootaxa
491:Montana
466:Alabama
450:Montana
422:insects
390:mammals
347:Habitat
302:conical
156:Genus:
136:Order:
113:Class:
58: (
983:130512
980:uBio:
973:731608
947:572540
911:202411
898:161096
872:104250
833:207656
807:141151
627:
586:18 May
402:larvae
394:humans
357:turbid
201:, 1820
991:WoRMS
918:NAS:
880:IRMNG
820:3TFQH
470:Texas
460:from
386:birds
124:Clade
955:ODNR
942:NCBI
906:IUCN
893:ITIS
854:GBIF
846:2597
802:BOLD
625:PMID
611:3882
588:2017
559:2021
542:2013
464:and
444:and
388:and
365:lung
308:and
253:The
921:757
828:EoL
815:CoL
615:doi
546:doi
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257:(
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