Gar Fish Photos and Premium High Res Pictures, alligator gar, facts and photos, National Geographic7, popular gar fish types: How to catch Them, and fishing tips.
The fossils of Gars are from the ancient order of ray-finned fish, known as the Semionotiformes.There are seven living species of fish in two genera that can be found in fresh, brackish, and occasionally marine waters of eastern North America, Central America and Cuba in the Caribbean.Gars are armored with ganoid scales and fronted with long, sharp teeth.Gars are not related to pike in the fish family Esocidae.The alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula) is the largest gar, with a length of over 2 m and a weight of up to 100 lbs.Most gars surface periodically to take a gulp of air and their swim bladders can function as lungs.Humans use hard skin and scales of gars for food, but gar eggs are very toxic.
The name gar was taken from the Old English word for "spear" and was originally used for a species of needlefish found in the North Atlantic.The name Belone belone has been changed to avoid confusion with the North American gars.The name "garfish" is also used for a number of other species in the same family.
The Greek word lepis means scale and osteon means bone.Similar to Greek, atractosteus is derived from atraktos, meaning arrow.[2]
Fossilized gars have been found in Europe, India, South America, and North America.Gars are a remnant of a group of fish that flourished in the Mesozoic.Some of the rivers and lakes that flow to them are located off of Texas, Louisiana, and the eastern coast of Mexico.The Great Lakes region of the United States has a few populations living in shallow waters.There are no comments at this time.
Gar bodies are armored with ganoid scales and fronted with long, sharp teeth.Their tails and fins are close to each other.[15]
When the concentration of oxygen in the water is low, most gars surface periodically to take a gulp of air, doing so more frequently in stagnant or warm water.Experiments on the swim bladder show that the temperature of the water affects which method the gar will use.As the temperature of the water increases, they will increase the aerial breathing rate.Gars can live completely submerged in oxygenated water without access to air and remain healthy while also being able to survive in deoxygenATED water.The result of environmental pressures and behavioral factors can be the adaptation.They are able to tolerate conditions that other fish could not because of this organ.
There are anal fins, a caudal fin, and a dorsal fin in the gar.The bone structures within the fins are important to study.The pelvic girdle is similar to other actinopterygians but has some of its own characteristics.Gars do not have postpectorals, which is a bone that is close to the scapula.The supracleithrum plays a critical role in opening the gar's jaws.The Gar species has a unique internal coracoid.The posttemporal bone is smaller than other actinopterygians.Gars have no bones, but there have been observations of clavicle plates.[19]
The largest spatula is the alligator gar Atractosteus.The largest alligator gar ever caught was recorded.Even the smaller species, such as Lepisosteus oculatus, are large, reaching lengths of over 60 cm and sometimes much longer.[21]
When striking at their prey, gars are a slow- moving fish.They prefer the shallow and weedy areas of rivers, lakes, and bayous.They catch their prey in their teeth with a sideways strike of the head.They feed on small fish and crabs.Much of the eastern part of North America has gars.Atractosteus tristoechus is one of the gars that can be found in the sea.gars travel through the sewer system to get to ponds.[22]
The alligator gar can measure up to 10 feet long and weigh over 300 pounds.The alligator was named because locals often mistook it for an alligator.The species can be found in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, the Mississippi River, Ohio, and the southern drainages into Mexico.Its habitat consists of lakes and bays.After reaching adulthood, the gars grow at a slower rate.They are either green or yellow.The alligator gar became popular due to its large size and its meat is sold for food.The gar is close to extinction due to five decades of overfishing and man-made dams.Some U.S. states have enacted laws to combat overfishing, and some states, such as Illinois, where human activity has driven the gar to extinction, are carrying out reintroduction programs.gars must meet a length requirement to ensure that they have the best chance of survival in the wild.Some states, such as Texas, restrict the number of gar that can be caught in a day, the season in which they are caught, and the equipment that is used to catch them.Minimum length requirements are imposed by some states to prevent gar from being caught too early.The alligator gar's success in a particular area can show scientists that the area may be a suitable habitat for other migratory species.[32]
The Florida gar is found in the Ocklockonee river, Florida, and Georgia and prefers muddy or sandy bottoms.It is often confused with the spotted gar.There are black spots on its head, body, and fins.The back of its body is green-brown, and the scales on its underside are either white or yellow.The gar's surroundings allow it to ambush its prey.The Florida gar has no scales on its throat.Female Florida gars are larger than their male counterparts.There are 33 and 36 words.