Florida gar

Lepisosteus platyrhincus

A slender armoured fish with dark spots on an olive-brown body and fins.

A slender armoured fish with dark spots on an olive-brown body and fins; dorsal and anal fins sit close to the tail.

Natural habitat: Adults inhabit quiet pools in lowland streams and lakes, usually over mud or sand near vegetation.

Appearance and identification

Alligator gar is stouter with a shorter, broader snout.

Surface-oriented ambush behaviour and air gulping do not remove water-quality needs.

Adults are described at 33–86 cm, up to 133 cm TL.

An ambush predator of fish and some invertebrates; small fish are vulnerable.

Unsuitable for communities of small fish.

Reserve turning and surface space.

Sources