Spotted Gar
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Actinopterygii
- Order: Lepisosteiformes
- Family: Lepisosteidae
- Genus: Lepisosteus
- Species: L. oculatus
Fun Facts
- Gar have a specialized swim bladder which allows them to gulp air and live in poorly oxygenated back waters.
- They are primitive fish and date back to the Cretaceous period, some 62 to 100 million years ago.
- The ancestors of spotted gar swam with dinosaurs.
- Spotted gar eat fish.
- Their long snout-like mouth is lined with strong, sharp teeth, and their body is covered with thick ganoid (diamond shape) scales.
- They can reach for 3 feet in length and weigh up to 8 pounds.
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