Discover Florida Nature
It's time to explore the natural Florida
 Florida Fish:
Gar |
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 Alligator
Gar (Atractosteus spatula) Alligator Gar are one of
the most distinctive freshwater fish species. Alligator gars are the
largest of all gar species with a head that looks very much like an
alligator's. They can be distinguished from all other gars species by
the two rows of teeth in the upper jaw, their short-broader snout, and
their size when fully grown. The body of the alligator gar is long,
slender, and olive or greenish brown (sometimes black) along the back
and upper sides with white to yellow bellies. The sides are mottled
toward the head with large black spots toward the rear and on the rear
fins. Young alligator gar have a light stripe along their back from tip
of snout to upper base of caudal fin. Found in the Escambia, Yellow and
Choctawhatchee rivers in northwest Florida, alligator gar have also been
found in the Econfina/Bear Creek area of Bay County. Alligator gar
inhabit sluggish pools and backwaters of large rivers, bayous and lakes,
and rarely are found in brackish or salt water. Alligator gar are one of
the monsters of fresh waters. They can reach lengths of up to 10 feet
and weights of more than 200 pounds! They mainly feed on fish but are
known to eat ducks and other water birds. Florida
Gar
(Lepisosteus platyrhincus) Florida gar have irregular
round, black spots on the top of the head and over the entire body and
on all the fins. Other gars, except for spotted gars, have spots on the
fins and usually on the posterior part of the body. They can be
distinguished from other gars, such as spotted gars, by the distance
from the front of the eye to the back of the gill cover. In Florida
gars, the distance is less than two-thirds the length of the snout. In
spotted gars, the distance is more than two-thirds the length of the
snout. Other characteristics of Florida gars include a shorter, broader
snout with a single row of irregularly spaced sharp teeth on both upper
and lower jaws and no bony scales on the throat. The coloration is
olive-brown along the back and upper sides with a white-to-yellow belly.
The young sometimes have dark stripes along back and sides. leeches.
Florida gar are found in the Ochlockonee River and waters east and south
in peninsular Florida. They inhabit medium-to-large lowland streams,
canals and lakes with mud or sand bottoms near underwater vegetation.
Like all gars, they use an air bladder to breathe air to survive in
poorly oxygenated water. Florida gars grow rapidly and can reach a
length of 30 inches. Young fish feed on zooplankton, insect larvae and
small fish. Adults primarily feed on fish, shrimp and crayfish.` Longnose
Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) Longnose gar are olive-brown
or deep green along the back and upper sides, with silver-white bellies.
There are a few irregular, large dark spots on the body. The young
display scattered spots over both sides, the upper and lower jaws and on
their ventral fins. The longnose is generally distinguished from other
gars by its longer, more slender body, and especially by its longer,
narrower snout. The snout is twice the length of the rest of the head.
Longnose gar inhabit sluggish, sometimes poorly oxygenated water,
backwaters and oxbows of medium-to-large rivers and lakes. Longnose gars
as well as other gar species are able to tolerate poor water quality by
breathing air through its air bladder. Longnose gar are one of the most
widespread and numerous of the gar species in Florida. They generally
are found north of and in Lake Okeechobee, near vegetation and
occasionally in brackish waters. Females grow faster, bigger, and live
longer than males and can attain lengths in excess of five feet. Young
fish mainly feed on zooplankton while larger ones feed on small fishes,
frogs and crustaceans. Longnose gar feed by stalking their prey or lying
in wait for it to come within striking distance. Spawning occurs between
December and March in Florida. Adhesive eggs are scattered in shallow
water over vegetation or other structure and hatch between six and eight
days later. Spotted
Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) Spotted gars are almost
identical to Florida gars. Both species are the only two gars that have
dark spots on the top of the head as well as over the entire body and on
all the fins. They can be distinguished by the distance between the
front of the eye and the rear edge of the gill cover. If the distance is
more than two-thirds the length of the snout, it is a spotted gar. If
the distance is less than two-thirds the length of the snout, it is a
Florida gar. Spotted gars have a single row of teeth in each jaw and has
a much broader snout than that of the longnose gar. The coloration of
the spotted gar generally is darker than that of Florida gars, some fish
being almost black, depending on the color of the water. Spotted gar
occur west of the Ochlockonee River in the panhandle of Florida, east of
the Apalachicola drainage and in the remainder of the state they are
replaced by its closest relative, the Florida gar. They prefer quiet,
clear pools and backwaters of lowland creeks; small-to-large rivers,
swamps, sloughs and ditches with an abundance of vegetation or debris.
Spotted gars occasionally enter salt water. They also use an air bladder
to breathe air in oxygen depleted water. Growth is very rapid during the
first year for the spotted gar and they reach a maximum length of up to
four feet. Young fish feed on zooplankton, small insect larvae and tiny
fish larvae. Adult fish primarily feed on fish and crustaceans. |
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